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Yesterday — 21 March 2026Main stream

Chelsea ready to launch €80m package for wing-wizard but he’s already said yes to another PL club

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By:Mark Brus
21 March 2026 at 14:32

Chelsea are reportedly ready to invest a total package worth €80m for the transfer of FC Koln attacker Said El Mala.

The Germany Under-21 international has shone in the Bundesliga and looks like he could soon be on his way to the Premier League.

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According to Fichajes, Chelsea are prepared to bid for El Mala and offer him high wages that could take their total investment to around €80m.

However, it may be that El Mala himself has already said yes to a move to Brighton, according to Christian Falk in yesterday’s edition of his exclusive CF Bayern Insider column.

Said El Mala set for Brighton transfer?

It remains to be seen if Chelsea could still hijack this deal, but for now it sounds like Brighton are in a strong position to sign El Mala.

According to Falk, the 19-year-old has personally agreed to the move, with his brother also set to join the Seagulls as an important part of the terms of the deal.

“It is TRUE: Said El Mala has said yes to signing for Brighton,” Falk wrote.

“The idea is that the Seagulls could offer €40m [£34.4m] to FC Köln. There was also a bid in the winter of around €30m, but that wasn’t enough for Cologne, as they needed him for the rest of the season.

“But in the summer, there’s a clearer pathway. Brighton made their offer, which is very attractive for the family! El Mala changed his agent, letting his mother take over.

Said El Mala Games Goals Assists
FC Koln 2025/26 26 9 3

“He also has a brother, Malek El Mala. Both brothers wanted to play in the same club – and they can do this at Brighton, as the south coast club also made an offer for Malek. This is the dream!

“Both can play in England, which is why Brighton are in the lead. I think this transfer will happen.”

Said El Mala faces important transfer decision

El Mala looks ready for a big move to England, but he has to pick his next club wisely in order to maximise his chances of playing regularly.

It’s clear that the teenager is very capable and it won’t do him much good to just come and sit on the bench of a club like Chelsea.

At the same time, however, the Blues have invested a lot in young talents in recent times, so could find room for El Mala as an upgrade on the likes of Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens.

Brighton seems to be his preference for now, though, so CFC might have to pull off something pretty special in order to change his mind.

The post Chelsea ready to launch €80m package for wing-wizard but he’s already said yes to another PL club appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Before yesterdayMain stream

Bid prepared: Chelsea set to make first formal offer for €50m “raw talent”

✇CaughtOffside
By:Mark Brus
20 March 2026 at 15:06

Chelsea are reportedly preparing their first formal transfer offer for FC Koln winger Said El Mala, potentially worth around €50m.

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The Blues are ready to pay big for El Mala and show their faith in the exciting young talent, who has also been eyed up by other top clubs in recent times.

Still, it seems Chelsea are keen to move to the front of the queue for El Mala’s signature by trying their luck with a €50m bid, according to Fichajes.

With nine goals and three assists this season, the 19-year-old has made a big impact and looks ready to make the step up to the next level.

Chelsea could do with Said El Mala transfer to give them something different in attack

It’s not been the best season at Stamford Bridge, so there could be room for further changes to Chelsea’s attacking options.

Jamie Gittens is one summer signing who’s been particularly disappointing, but many CFC fans will also have expected more from the likes of Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho.

Even Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian has gone off the boil after starting brightly, so there’s surely room for El Mala to come in and become a key player for Liam Rosenior’s side.

Said El Mala to Chelsea Transfer Fit rating

See below as we put El Mala through our Transfer Fit rating (read how it works here) and got the following score…

Said El Mala TOTAL SCORE: 19/25
Transfer fee ***
Performance ****
Achievements ***
Career phase ****
Squad need *****

19/25 is a high score, with El Mala really ticking the boxes in terms of a pretty low transfer fee, good recent form, an age bracket that suggests his best is yet to come, and the fact that he improves a weak area of Chelsea’s squad.

It will be interesting to see if the west London giants can indeed get this deal done, but one imagines there’ll be plenty of interest in the Germany Under-21 international this summer, so probably a few more twists and turns in this saga yet.

The post Bid prepared: Chelsea set to make first formal offer for €50m “raw talent” appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Report: Arsenal intensifying efforts to clinch potential €70m attacker transfer

✇CaughtOffside
By:Mark Brus
20 March 2026 at 14:45

Arsenal are reportedly intensifying their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen’s talented young forward Christian Kofane ahead of the summer.

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The Gunners want to move ahead of any potential competitors for Kofane’s signature, with the 19-year-old set to cost around €70m, according to Fichajes.

Kofane has caught the eye in the Bundesliga this season, contributing seven goals and four assists in total.

A recent report from Sports Boom has linked Kofane with Arsenal, Chelsea, and Newcastle, but it could now be that Mikel Arteta’s side are stepping up their efforts to move into a strong position.

Arsenal eye Christian Kofane transfer in bid to reshuffle attack

Arsenal fans will no doubt be keen to see their club bring in a big name up front this summer, but there’s probably also room for a young talent like Kofane to come in and provide squad depth.

This could be the summer that we see players like Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard moving on, with neither player starting regularly for Arteta’s men this term.

That could mean Kofane can come in and fill that kind of role, perhaps with the view to developing into more of a regular starter once he gains more experience.

Arsenal like Christian Kofane’s versatility

Another good thing about Kofane is his versatility, with Fichajes claiming AFC like that side of his game.

The report adds that Chelsea could also be preparing contacts over the Cameroon international, while Leverkusen have turned down offers for him before.

Arsenal could also end up facing competition from big names like Real Madrid and Barcelona, according to Fichajes, so this saga remains at the early stages and could head in a number of different directions.

The post Report: Arsenal intensifying efforts to clinch potential €70m attacker transfer appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Euro giants monitoring Liverpool & Man Utd transfer target but PL move may be more likely – expert

✇CaughtOffside
By:Mark Brus
20 March 2026 at 12:55

Liverpool and Manchester United target Castello Lukeba could be heading to the Premier League despite interest from Bayern Munich.

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According to Christian Falk in his latest CF Bayern Insider column, Lukeba is being monitored by Bayern after his impressive form in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig.

However, Falk believes the deal may be more realistically affordable for Premier League clubs, which is a potential boost for Liverpool and Man Utd.

Lukeba also doesn’t necessarily look like someone who’d make sense as a priority for Bayern at the moment anyway, given that Dayot Upamecano recently signed a new contract at the Allianz Arena.

Christian Falk’s transfer info on Castello Lukeba

Discussing Lukeba and a possible move to the Premier League, Falk noted that Leipzig players often seem to end up in England, and at Liverpool in particular.

“It is TRUE: Bayern are monitoring Castello Lukeba,” Falk wrote.

“Max Eberl knows the player and likes the player. He has worked before at RB Leipzig. But, at the moment, it’s not true that FC Bayern will buy Lukeba in the summer.

“Things can change if Kim Min-jae is sold. Then they can invest the transfer fee, which is why Lukeba is still on the list.”

He added: “As you see, often RB Leipzig players end up in the Premier League. We’ve seen a lot of them – especially at Liverpool! Just look at Dominik Szoboszlai’s performances this season. This is one of the clubs that always focuses on such players.

“A while ago, Bayern bought Dayot Upamecano from Leipzig, and it was a good decision. But they can’t always do a deal like this, and we know Lukeba is an expensive player. So, perhaps there’s a deal in the Premier League to be found for the 23-year-old centre-half.”

Castello Lukeba looks ideal for Liverpool

LFC have a particular need for a new centre-back this summer as Ibrahima Konate comes towards the end of his contract, while Virgil van Dijk isn’t getting any younger and has arguably started to show signs of decline.

We’ve scored Lukeba as a strong fit for Liverpool using our Transfer Fit rating system – read more here about how it works…

Castello Lukeba TOTAL SCORE: 19/25
Transfer fee ***
Performance ****
Achievements **
Career phase *****
Squad need *****

Lukeba would also surely get a similar score for Man Utd, though they already have decent depth in central defence, so arguably need him less.

The Frenchman may well favour Old Trafford over Anfield this summer, though, depending on how the ongoing battle for Champions League qualification pans out.

The post Euro giants monitoring Liverpool & Man Utd transfer target but PL move may be more likely – expert appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Christian Falk drops exciting morning Manchester United transfer story

✇CaughtOffside
By:Mark Brus
20 March 2026 at 12:24

German football journalist Christian Falk has dropped an intriguing Manchester United transfer update this morning as the Red Devils remain interested in Alphonso Davies.

Writing in his latest CF Bayern Insider column, Falk stated that Man Utd are interested in Davies and that Bayern Munich could be open to listening to big enough offers.

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The Canada international was also previously eyed by United and other big clubs when his contract situation was uncertain, though he ended up signing a new deal.

Still, even if Davies is one of the best left-backs in the world on his day, he hasn’t been as convincing in recent times, partly due to ongoing injury issues.

Christian Falk on Manchester United’s Alphonso Davies interest

Discussing the Davies to United links in today’s column, Falk said: “It is TRUE: Manchester United are interested in Alphonso Davies.

“They were at the table when questions were being asked as to whether he would sign a new contract at Bayern Munich. They’re still monitoring this player, but he’s, of course, since signed a new contract at the Allianz Arena, so it will be difficult to get him at the moment.

“But there are also discussions going on at the club as to whether they need a new backup player, given all the injuries Davies keeps picking up. Before, they thought they didn’t need a player on the left-hand side because Hiroki Itō can play there as well.

“However, if there were an offer on the table (and don’t forget it cost Bayern a lot of money to extend Davies), there would be a discussion. But I can say right now that there has yet to be a concrete offer from Manchester United. If there’s an offer, perhaps Bayern will consider it, as the injuries keep coming.”

Is Alphonso Davies still good enough for Manchester United?

United fans will likely be divided over whether or not a move for Davies is the right thing, but what does our Transfer Fit rating show?

See below as we scored Davies on key metrics and gave him a fairly medium overall rating of 15/25…

Alphonso Davies TOTAL SCORE: 15/25
Transfer fee **
Performance **
Achievements *****
Career phase **
Squad need ****

Even if Davies has had a fine career as one of the top players in the world in his position, his recent form is less convincing and he probably wouldn’t come cheap.

Still, there are worse options out there, and MUFC do look like they need a new left-back as an upgrade on the ageing and injury-prone Luke Shaw.

The post Christian Falk drops exciting morning Manchester United transfer story appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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