Mathys Tel is reportedly not ruling out staying with Bayern Munich beyond the end of the January transfer window after rejecting the chance to make the move to Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham had an offer in the region of €60m (£50m) for Tel accepted by Bayern, but the 19-year-old turned down a switch to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a huge blow to Ange Postecoglou's side.
According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, Manchester United, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Chelsea are still keen on the forward, but it is possible that he could now remain at Allianz Arena past the deadline.
The report claims that Tel is willing to stay with Bayern if the right opportunity does not arrive, but a loan or a sale could still occur in the latter stages of the window, with a number of clubs involved in the race.
© Imago
Tel could stay with Bayern, claims respected journalist
"For the first time in the past four days, Mathys Tel is no longer ruling out staying at FC Bayern after rejecting Tottenham today!" Plettenberg posted on X.
"Bayern have now also received information that a stay is possible. However, further discussions are ongoing. Manchester United, who contacted Bayern by phone, remain in the race. Aston Villa, Arsenal and Chelsea are still involved.
"It now depends on the clubs, on their projects, visions and concrete offers whether a loan or even a sale could still happen before the Deadline Day. Tel rejected Tottenham today because he wasn't convinced by the project - independent of the Spurs' offer."
Tel has found it difficult to make his mark for Bayern during the 2024-25 campaign, failing to find the back of the net in 14 appearances in all competitions, while he only played 91 minutes of football in the league phase of the Champions League.
The Frenchman is one of the most highly-rated forwards in European football, though, and he showed his quality for Bayern during the 2023-24 season, scoring 10 goals and registering six assists in 41 appearances in all competitions.
© Imago
How will the situation play out?
Villa have money to spend following Jhon Duran's sale to Al-Nassr, while Chelsea and Arsenal, in theory, do have funds available to complete a big-money deal late in the window, with the price seemingly being €60m (£50m).
Man United, though, are not in a position to spend that on Tel this month, seemingly placing the Red Devils at a disadvantage.
However, it has been claimed that Tel is more interested in a loan departure late in the January window, and it is believed that Man United are his favoured destination based on the teams that are involved.
It is a situation which could go either way at this stage of proceedings, and it is set to be a frantic end to the window, with clubs working behind the scenes to boost their squads before Monday night's deadline.
Matt Law
