As it turns out, Borussia Dortmund will not be breaking its club transfer record this summer. After weeks of back-and-forth negotiations with FC Köln, the Cathedral City club’s asking price has proven to be just too high. It is widely reported that Borussia Dortmund had set an internal limit up to €50 million for El Mala. While they ended up offering slightly more than that in the end if you factor in performance bonuses, it ended up still not being enough for Köln.
🚨❌ DEAL OFF unless a transfer miracle happens before Deadline Day.
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 14, 2026
“Said El Mala is not a Borussia Dortmund player and he will not become one this summer either,” BVB boss Lars Ricken told Funke Mediengruppe when asked directly.
“We have had open discussions with the people… pic.twitter.com/p8Tr7Bly5j
While BVB will surely miss out on a top talent in El Mala, the club does not have infinite transfer funds, and it’s generally a good sign that the club was willing to back down rather than get milked for millions of extra euros. There is still time for Köln to reconsider before the deadline, although given how much they’ve held firm during the negotiations, that seems unlikely. Regardless, Dortmund still has money to spend this transfer window, and can now pivot to other targets.