Mathys Tel, 18, is already making waves at Bayern Munich, but he isn’t the man Spurs need to replace Harry Kane.
Tottenham Hotspur are set to meet with two Bayern Munich officials on Monday to discuss the German club’s interest in signing Harry Kane, with rumors suggesting that youngster Mathys Tel could be thrown into the mix to sweeten the deal.
Kane has one year left on his contract and does not look to be close to agreeing to new terms in north London. As I reported earlier this week, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has already turned down a £60 million approach plus add-ons from Bayern, who are determined to get England captain Kane.
Bayern are determining their next actions, according to The Telegraph, and technical director Marco Neppe and chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen will be in London at the start of the week to negotiate the contract with Levy.
France youth international Tel, 18, might be used as a bargaining chip. However, he is not regarded as a clear replacement for Kane, and his playing style is more akin to Kylian Mbappe.
Sending their star scorer to the Bundesliga is preferable than a rival Premier League team signing Kane this summer, as is allowing the 30-year-old to leave on a free transfer next season. Levy is claimed to have explored a deal with PSG, but Kane is not interested in playing in Ligue 1.
That leaves Bayern as the only realistic suitor this summer, unless Real Madrid pop up with a big offer as they seek to replace Karim Benzema. Bayern will know how hard Levy negotiates when it comes to player sales, but the fact the Spurs chairman is prepared to hold in-person talks is seen as progress in this potential transfer.
Tottenham are said to have already been interested in Tel this summer, although no official bid has been made. New manager Ange Postecoglou has already spent more than £110m on new players, including James Maddison from Leicester City.
Tel made his senior breakthrough at Rennes back in 2021 before moving to Bayern for an up-front fee of around £17.1m, with add-ons due, a year later. Last season he scored six goals in 28 appearances for Bayern across all competitions, five of which came in the Bundesliga.
He is a versatile forward who appears at his best when cutting in from the wing, which has driven the comparison with France superstar Mbappe. However, Tel sees himself as Bayern’s future No 9 and will be hoping for a more central role this term, should be stay.
Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel acknowledged the potential of loaning Tel out in April, saying, “We see his qualities.” He has explosiveness and excellent finishing ability. He must maintain this level of performance. For the time being, his role is to serve as a substitute. We’ll discuss his future [whether to loan or keep him] at a later time.”
Tel, who is only 18 years old, is the ideal impact sub for Bayern, who already have a plethora of offensive talent. However, maintaining him at the club alongside new newcomer Kane, as well as the existing presences of Thomas Muller, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry, and Kingsley Coman, may appear to be foolish. While he has skill, Tuchel is attempting to build a balanced squad, and adding Kane to the mix would just diminish Tel’s playing time.
Tel’s agents tried to dispel rumours the player would leave Bayern this summer, claiming “he is on a mission” to be the first-choice striker at the German giants. A loan move could therefore be more feasible. That is, assuming Spurs don’t pick him up on a permanent transfer.
Postecoglou played Maddison directly behind Kane, with Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski either side, in the friendly win over Lion City Sailors earlier this week. That forward set-up is likely to be the new boss’ style this coming season.
Were Tel to join Spurs then it’s unlikely he would fill the void left by Kane. At 18, even if he were an out-and-out centre-forward then relying on him to do Kane’s job would be a significant burden on young shoulders.
However, while he could certainly thrive in a dynamic offensive unit coming off the wing, there are hints that Tel could one-day play the Kane role.
Ex-Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann, the man who signed Tel last summer, said the youngster could play “multiple positions” and “can hold up the ball well with his back to the goal”. If Postecoglou is planning to maintain Spurs’ familiar set-up of a focal centre-forward who drops deep to bring others into play then Tel, perhaps, could provide this outlet.
Tel started just one of his 28 games last season, a 2-2 draw with Stuttgart in which he scored. That day, he was on the right of an attacking three positioned behind Muller, and out wide is where he would likely fare best for Spurs this season, with someone else doing the central duties.
Kane is unlikely to be that person. The England striker, who was on the verge of leaving Tottenham two years ago, is set to achieve his desire. All that remains is for Levy and Bayern authorities to see who blinks first.
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