Plan B after El Mala rejection
BVB boss breaks silence after transfer setback
In recent days, the negotiations surrounding Said El Mala dominated proceedings at Borussia Dortmund. Meanwhile, BVB has withdrawn from the pursuit of the rising star from Cologne FC after the Bundesliga rival had previously rejected several offers. The black and yellows are now pursuing a "Plan B" at high pressure.
Carsten Cramer, spokesman for BVB's management board, explained on the sidelines of the friendly match against AS Roma (2:2) on Saturday that it is "always advisable to pursue multiple options simultaneously." He noted that "in fact, another plan is now taking effect, which we hopefully can implement in the coming days."
The Dortmund official emphasized that he could not yet reveal exactly what the alternative would look like, but stressed that they are "always well prepared for all eventualities. And I believe we have something good in the pipeline."
According to reports from kicker, Greek player Giannis Konstantelias from PAOK Salonika is said to be a "very hot candidate" for the runners-up. At Borussia, he would meet his national team colleague Konstantinos Karetsas.
BVB wants to "keep things in perspective"
BVB would have liked to sign El Mala, but after a protracted negotiation process, the Westphalians withdrew from talks with Cologne FC on Friday. According to consistent media reports, the club from Cologne insisted on their demand for a 50 million euro transfer fee.
Cramer commented on the back-and-forth by stating that they are "bold, but in the end we must also keep things in perspective." He added that they "wanted to take a risk, but we must not make the mistake of becoming overconfident or even megalomaniacal."
El Mala and BVB had already agreed on the terms of a potential collaboration. According to reports, the left winger was offered a five-year contract and a salary of approximately five million euros per season.
The contract of the sought-after youngster at Cologne FC is valid until 2030 and contains no exit clause. English clubs had also previously struck out in their attempts to sign him from Cologne.
