According to Bild, Köln has responded to Borussia Dortmund's pursuit of 19-year-old rising star Saidou Mara, reiterating that they will not let him go easily.

On Wednesday, Köln's most central club body met at the team hotel in Kitzbühel. 24 hours later, sporting director Thomas Kessler commented on the tug-of-war surrounding the multi-million euro deal.

The procedure itself was unusual: a joint committee comprising 3 board members, 2 member committee members, the advisory board, and the supervisory board discussed behind closed doors in the hotel conference room on Wednesday. According to Bild, El Mala was naturally one of the topics, with Dortmund recently making an offer of 44 million euros, including 34 million euros in fixed transfer fees and 10 million euros in variable bonuses.

Kessler now confirms that this offer is not a basis for negotiation at all. Instead, he said: "We have had several proposals on the table these past few weeks, but none of them would make me consider letting this player go." Internally, Köln has set the transfer fee baseline at 50 million euros, with the fixed transfer fee specifically needing to be close to 45 million euros for negotiations to be possible. Subsequently, Köln's sporting director spoke even more directly.

Kessler frankly stated: "Saidou is our player. He has four years left on his contract with the club. Everyone in Köln likes him. I am very happy that he is still here. The more I watch him train every day, the less I want to let him go. Especially when I see how he and his family are handling all of this. I am still firmly convinced that he will play for us this season. As it stands, there is no reason to think otherwise. Saidou will be an important player for us this season."

These remarks effectively crushed Dortmund's plans to find a replacement for Adeyemi. Kessler deliberately did not mention Dortmund by name, saying: "In principle, I will not reveal which club the offer came from." However, he also hinted that Köln was very unhappy that Dortmund had even directly contacted El Mala himself.

Kessler also issued a warning to Dortmund: "No club should talk directly to the player. We have always done it this way, and I hope other clubs also abide by the rules, and all competitors play by the rules." Subsequently, Kessler confirmed Köln's new transfer strategy for the senior team, which Bild had previously revealed. Köln remains willing to talk before the transfer window closes, with Kessler saying: "I am always available and willing to discuss anything." However, El Mala's price will continue to rise the longer the tug-of-war lasts. Kessler stated: "And it is clear that the closer we get to the start of the season, our attitude towards certain offers may also change."

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