Bayern Munich have taken flight this season on the back of their exceptional quality in frontline and aggressive pressing structure.
While Harry Kane is potentially playing his best football this season, Michael Olise, Luis Diaz and Serge Gnabry have supported him with some great performances.
However, despite their strong start, many fans are unsure if Bayern Munich will be able to keep up with their intensity throughout the 2025/26 campaign mainly due to their lack of squad depth.
Given the circumstances, the Bavarians may make a couple of signing in January to bolster their roster and aid Vincent Kompany with more options to work around.
Therefore, Bayern Munich are keeping tabs on FC Koln winger Said El Mala who has shown a lot of promise in his debut Bundesliga campaign as per reports via Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg.
For now, the Bundesliga champions have put him on their shortlist for upcoming transfer windows but given their depth in wide areas, it won’t be surprising if they make a move for him in January 2026.
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However, Bayern will have to face some competition if they want to sign the 19-year-old winger as Borussia Dortmund have also shown interest in the Germany U19 international.
Who is Bayern Munich target Said El Mala?
El Mala was one of the protagonists for Germany as they reached the semifinals of the U19 Euros earlier this year. He finished the tournament with four goals and as many assists making him a crucial member in the youth setup.
Koln signed him in 2024 and immediately sent him on loan to Viktoria Koln in the German third tier and the teenager took the division by stormy by netting 13 goals and providing five assists.
✨Said El Mala✨ #effzeh pic.twitter.com/urV4WQmqFX
— 1. FC Cologne (@fckoeln_en) October 4, 2025
El Mala’s performances were so good that he was named as the 3. Liga’s 2024/25 Newcomer of Season and given his strong showing, he signed a new contract extension with Koln, keeping him at the club until 2030.
Therefore, Koln are in a strong position with his contract situation and are reportedly holding out a €35m price tag for the 19-year-old.
The teenager has carried the momentum from Germany third tier to the Bundesliga as he has already netted two goals and provided an assist from six appearances, but it only translates into 215 minutes in the top division until now.
El Mala has great technical flair and is also an instinctive finisher, something that he will look to polish even more with more minutes under his belt at Koln.
As per Opta, El Mala has already taken five shots after 1v1 take-ons in Bundesliga this season, which is only matched by Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe (6) in Europe’s top five leagues.
He could be a good backup option for Diaz on the left flank if Bayern eventually decide to make a move for him.
It could be beneficial for both parties as the teenager will get to play with some of the top professionals whereas Bayern Munich will get their hands on a potential future superstar.
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