Tottenham Hotspur have triumphed over Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United to secure Bayern Munich’s highly-rated young forward Mathys Tel on loan, with an unexpected option to buy.
It became apparent towards the end of January that Tel was eager to leave Bayern in search of more playing time. The 19-year-old has started just four games across all competitions this season, with an additional ten appearances as a substitute.
Chelsea had shown strong interest in the French talent, who netted ten goals last season despite limited minutes, but their pursuit was unsuccessful. Spurs initially faced rejection as well after agreeing on a €60m (£50m) fee with Bayern, only for Tel and his representatives to turn down a permanent move.
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However, a surprise resolution came on Monday night, with Tel choosing Tottenham over Arsenal, Aston Villa, and United, signing a six-month loan deal with the club.
Although initially believed to be a straightforward loan, reports now suggest that Spurs have secured an option to purchase Tel in the summer for a fee between €55m-€60m (£45m-£50m).
The key factor in Tel’s change of heart was reportedly a long conversation with Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou, as confirmed by ESPN’s Julien Laurens. Postecoglou had publicly called for winter reinforcements to help his injury-stricken squad.
Centre-back Kevin Danso joined Spurs on loan from Lens on Sunday, and both he and Tel could make their debuts in Thursday’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool.