Tottenham have approached Bayern Munich over a permanent deal for Mathys Tel worth £50m as Premier League clubs battle to land the France U21 international before the end of the January transfer window.
Talks between Spurs and Bayern are in the early stages. There is also interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, with the latter having seen a bid rejected for Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins.
Tel started in Bayern Munich's 3-1 win over Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday evening but the club have confirmed that the 19-year-old wants to depart.
"He has said he would like to leave," said sporting director Max Eberl. "Now we have to think about whether we will do it and what we will do."
Bayern, who signed Tel from Rennes for a fee in the region of £23m in 2022, are open to letting him leave permanently, according to Sky Germany.
Chelsea have a longstanding interest in Tel, who has scored 16 goals in 83 games for Bayern, and had planned to approach the German giants even before he decided he wanted to leave this January.
Christopher Nkunku's chances of getting his desired move to Bayern Munich would be improved if Tel moved to Stamford Bridge.
United would need one of their current forward players to leave first before making a move for Tel. But with less than a week of the window remaining, potential departees Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford appear no closer to a move out of Old Trafford.
There has been a lull with Napoli and Chelsea's interest in Garnacho.
Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp speaking on The Transfer Show:
"He [Tel] is a very talented player, that's for sure. He's 19 and Tottenham have signed a lot of good young players in the last few years. That seems to be the profile of what they are trying to get.
"I messaged Harry Kane earlier on just asking what he's like as I knew I was coming to speak to you guys and he was very complimentary about him. First of all, he says he's a great guy. He wants to work, good trainer, good finisher, lot of potential.
"It's a lot of money, £50m, for a 19-year-old in the current climate. I can't think of too many that age that have gone for much more.
"He has a lot of talent and can play off the left as well - and they have got a lot of big games coming up.
"Coming to Tottenham, would he start? There's still [Heung-Min] Son, there's still [Dejan] Kulusevski, there's still [Dominic] Solanke when he's fit, so there's probably not a guarantee he's going to come in as a regular starter but trying to get ahead of Kane at Bayern is not easy."
Sky Sports' Nick Wright:
Tel has been a peripheral figure for Bayern Munich this season, playing only 344 minutes across their Bundesliga and Champions League campaigns without scoring. But at 19, he remains a thrilling talent with plenty to offer and plenty of room for improvement.
He demonstrated his immense potential last season, contributing nine goals and six assists across the Bundesliga and Champions League, despite mostly featuring as a substitute, and averaging an eye-catching 1.15 goal involvements per 90 minutes.
Context is important, of course. Many of those substitute appearances came at points in games where Bayern were already several goals up. But his talent is not in doubt. It is what convinced Bayern to pay roughly £23m to land him at the age of only 17 in 2022.
Tel is quick, strong in the air and, crucially, an accomplished finisher. His versatility is another asset.
As shown in the graphic above, Tel's minutes at Bayern have been split across different positions. He has played the highest share of minutes on the left, where he is able to cut in on his right foot. But he is also adept with his left foot and has also been used on the right, as a central striker, and even in midfield.
He would have to adapt to new surroundings in the Premier League, of course. Hitting the ground running would be a challenge mid-season. But it is easy to understand the interest, even if he would not come cheaply to any side looking to sign him permanently.
Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg:
"He is a great character. He is 19 years old but he has learned to speak German very fast and very well.
"The fans love him. He is always friendly. He says hello to everyone working at the club and at the training ground, and to every fan.
"The fans cannot understand why he might leave Bayern but there is an understanding of the fact that he needs regular playing time.
"He is a fantastic guy, open-minded and always smiling, but he needs to choose the right club right now because this is a very important step in his career.
"He is not a regular player at Bayern. He is far away from that. Now, he has to gain minutes."
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