Pep Guardiola personally sends scouts to watch “incredible” Bundesliga starlet with 6 G/A assists this season

Pep Guardiola. (REUTERS)

Manchester City look far more like their relentless, title-chasing selves again after a chaotic 2024/25 campaign.

Erling Haaland has rediscovered his scoring avalanche, Tijjani Reijnders is dictating games with ease, and Rayan Cherki has lit up the attack with flashes of brilliance.

Pep Guardiola’s men are stringing together wins domestically and in Europe, steadily regaining that aura of inevitability.

But while City’s present looks strong, Guardiola is already plotting the next evolution of his squad. With several long-standing stars moving on in recent windows, the Catalan coach is intent on replenishing his side with the next generation of elite talent.

One of the brightest names on his list? A rapidly rising Bundesliga star catching Europe’s attention…

Sky Germany are reporting that Pep Guardiola has developed a keen interest in Cologne’s breakout talent Said El Mala — and has ordered City scouts to watch him closely.

According to the report, Guardiola has already spent time reviewing “several videos and clips” of the teenager and has dispatched scouts to recent Köln fixtures to get a closer look.

El Mala’s emergence has been one of the Bundesliga’s standout stories this season. The young attacker has already been involved in six goals for Cologne, form which earned him a first call-up to the Germany national team and a debut in their 2–0 win over Luxembourg.

Köln manager Lukas Kwasniok has been effusive in his praise, describing the youngster as a
“street-footballer with God-given talent.”

He has also openly admitted that the club may struggle to keep hold of him for long, predicting that he will eventually be sold for “an incredible fee.”

City are far from alone in the chase. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are also tracking the 18-year-old, though Sky note that any deal within Germany would be difficult. Dortmund recently extended El Mala’s contract to 2030, and the club are reportedly demanding well over €40 million.

El Mala looks like one of the Bundesliga’s next major exports, and with Guardiola personally monitoring his development, Manchester City could be positioning themselves at the front of the queue. If his rise continues at this pace, Europe’s elite may soon be battling it out for his signature.

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, Sports Illustrated, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider.

Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.