Dortmund Raise Offer to €50m Base as Cologne Line Up Marcel Regula

Overview

• Several outlets report Borussia Dortmund have increased their proposal for 19‑year‑old Said El Mala to a base €50 million with further add‑on payments, but the bid is still described as developing and not final.
• Cologne sporting director Thomas Kessler has held concrete talks with Marcel Regula’s camp and his club Zagłębie Lubin about an €8 million move as a potential successor to El Mala.
• Köln’s ability to sign Regula depends on completing a sale of El Mala because the club wants a high guaranteed sum and would only reinvest proceeds after an agreed transfer is closed.
• If the reported Dortmund offer is accepted, El Mala would become Borussia Dortmund’s record signing, surpassing Ousmane Dembélé’s transfer fee.
• A completed sale would reshape Cologne’s squad plan by freeing funds for a new attacking midfielder and it would close a negotiation focused on whether Dortmund will pay most in guaranteed cash or through performance‑based bonuses.