Brighton and Hove Albion are working to push through a deal for Köln forward Saïd El-Mala, and submitted a firm written bid last week.

That’s according to SportBILD. The newspaper cover the forward today and how Brighton may be close to a deal for him after all.

According to their information, a deal for El-Mala is drawing closer and Brighton are leading the charge. The Seagulls submitted a concrete offer to Köln last week. This was in writing.

They’re determined to sign the winger, with Fabian Hürzeler especially keen. He wanted him before he’d even played in the Bundesliga. That led to Brighton’s €15m offer in the summer. They’ve been working on it since. 

Now they have significantly improved their offer. The latest on the table is between €25-30m plus add-ons. It was subsequently rejected but Köln are open to a deal for the summer.

Brighton desperately want El-Mala and want the negotiations over quickly. Köln want to weigh up their options as El-Mala could increase his value in the coming week. But there’s also a risk that it drops as coach Lukas Kwasniok uses him less and less.

Brighton are giving an impression of not giving up...