Nowadays, football clubs are competing to sign young talents as quickly as possible. Clubs will no longer wait to see if players can develop at a lower level for a year or two before snapping up them because once these players start to show their talent, their value increases exponentially. The goal is always to sign them before they start to shine. For example, Leipzig Rasenballsport signed Bundesliga star Yan Diomande for 20 million euros, and the latter only played 500 minutes in La Liga.
The way FC Cologne signed youngster Said El Marra provides another good example. After playing less than 500 minutes in Serie B, Vitoria Cologne d’evze The team saw enough in 2024 to sign him and loan him back to his previous club.
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But clubs are once again in the race to snap up the youngster. Before Elmara had even played a minute for Cologne’s first team, and before the team had even trained once, Brighton FC stepped in, offering more than €20 million for a player who had never played in the third tier of German football. This is quite remarkable. Apparently, their scouting tools have identified Elmara as a high-potential player, and they’re willing to take the risk of signing him before he shows what he can do on the big stage. Cologne ultimately rejected the offer. What could be crazier? Which club is willing to offer more than €20 million for a player with no experience in Serie A, or which club refuses?
Despite this, both clubs feel their decision to take the risk was justified as Hermara have performed extremely well so far in their first season in Cologne. With some brilliant individual moments, with 10 goals and assists at the time of writing, the young winger has become an extremely valuable asset and has even caught the attention of Germany’s biggest club, Bayern Munich.
Still, Brighton didn’t give up. Florian Plettenberg reports that Premier League clubs have once again approached Cologne for their bright youngsters, raising their bids for Valjeten target:
Brighton are eyeing Said El Marra as a summer dream target and submitted a written offer for the 19-year-old winger in January. Brighton bid up to 30 million euros for the shooting star. Cologne coach Thomas Kessler declined as Elmara was deemed too important in their fight to avoid relegation. Contract runs until 2030; no escape clause. Brighton remain keen on a summer move. Bayern are still eyeing him as a potential backup option to Luis Diaz.
Who will sign Elmara? How costly will his next move be? If 20 million euros and 30 million euros are not enough, how much will the young German spend in this crazy market?
