Brighton's pursuit of El Mala looks set to end in disappointment once again, with the Bundesliga teenager on course to spend at least one more season at Cologne after his mother made clear he will not be moving to England this summer.
Sabrina El Mala, who acts as her son's agent, informed Cologne's hierarchy that the 19-year-old would not be making the switch, according to Sport Bild. She left only a narrow opening: should an elite club "with an international presence" come forward, the family would consider it, though there is currently no indication that any such club is preparing to make a move.
Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler is nevertheless expected to make one final attempt to change her mind, in what Sport Bild describes as a "last attempt" to convince the forward to move to England. The German coach is said to be well aware, however, that any transfer "without the mother's cooperation is unlikely" - a lesson Brighton have already learned once this year, having spent seven months courting El Mala only to see the deal collapse.
Brentford fared little better in June, when a reported €50million agreement fell apart at the last moment after Sabrina El Mala rejected the move as the wrong step in her son's career.
The signs are increasingly pointing towards another season in Cologne for the Germany Under-21 international, who has himself grown more open to the idea of staying. Cologne, for their part, are under less financial pressure to cash in after banking a fee for Jakub Kaminski's move to Benfica, meaning the millions an El Mala sale would generate are no longer viewed as essential to the club's summer plans.
El Mala, who joined from Viktoria Koln for a reported €350,000, remains under contract at the club until 2030, giving Cologne a strong hand in any future negotiations regardless of how his situation develops over the coming weeks.
Other Premier League clubs, including Newcastle, have also made contact over a possible deal in recent months, only to be turned away by a family that has made clear it intends to control the pace and direction of any move with total authority, regardless of the scale of interest from England.