Carsten Cramer reveals why Borussia Dortmund walked away from Said El Mala deal

Dortmund have pursued a transfer policy focused heavily on youth recruitment, with four players under 20 already signed this season and El Mala widely expected to become the fifth.

However, negotiations between Dortmund and FC Koln broke down last week after the two sides couldn't agree on a fee for the player.

Reports suggest Koln wanted at least 50 million euros in guaranteed money, while Dortmund's offer was around 45 million euros, with performance-related bonuses that could take the fee above 55 million euros.

"It does happen from time to time that clubs trying to sign a player simply can't reach an agreement," Cramer told Sky Germany.

"We put forward what we believe was a very attractive and bold offer to Köln. They did not consider it appropriate and ultimately decided not to accept it.

"Then it was up to us to decide whether we wanted to take another step or not. We are bold, but at the end of the day, we have to remain realistic.

"What we did showed how ambitious we are. We wanted to take a risk, but we mustn't make the mistake of getting carried away or even losing our heads.

"Therefore, on Friday, we jointly decided to withdraw from what you could call the poker game.

"We were having good discussions with Köln. They always gave us honest feedback as well. We simply didn't reach an agreement, and we don't want to take things any further. The decision has been made.

"We would have liked to bring Said El Mala to BVB. I believe he would have liked it too. But we have to accept the situation, and so another plan is now taking shape, which we hopefully will be able to put into action in the coming days."