Bayern Munich’s transfer interest in Chelsea FC’s Christopher Nkunku has come like a bolt from the blue.
The Blues star has a fantastic Bundesliga record under his belt in his time at RB Leipzig, and his return to the German top flight could provide Vincent Kompany’s side with a much-needed spark in attack. But what about youngster Mathys Tel — whom Chelsea appears to want in return?
According to information from Sky Sport DE journalist Kerry Hau, Tel’s plans remain unchanged.
As of now, nothing has changed in Mathys Tel’s plan: he wants to stay at FC Bayern despite the concrete interest from Chelsea. The door for a departure in January can only be opened if the club clearly shows him and conveys that he no longer has any prospects and should leave. That has not happened so far. According to Christoph Freund, Tel does not expect anything to change. @SkySportDE
X account @iMiaSanMia also captured Freund’s statements from today’s press conference.
“Mathys Tel is a very important player for us, we are in very good contact because he’s a great talent and should play an important role for us. We have had many discussions. Our clear goal is for Mathys to make his breakthrough with us. We are very happy with our squad, quality and quantity wise. Of course if a player is unhappy, we can talk about it. Our clear plan with Mathys is for him to make his breakthrough here,” Freund said.
Freund went on to say ‘“as long as that remains the plan”, Bayern Munich will not bring in another attacker this month.
Earlier this month it was reported that Tel and Kompany had a “long, direct talk” which led to a reaffirmation of the youngster’s desire to stay and fight for his place — despite playing time not being easy to come back in his two-and-a-half years in Bavaria. And from Hau’s report it sounds like a loan departure at this stage is as good as a permanent one — a sign that things just have not worked out between Bayern and the promising teenager they signed from Rennes three summers ago.
Additional context from Hau (as captured via @iMiaSanMia) suggests a “rethink” is possible by the end of the current transfer window should Tel’s opportunities continue to be limited in the next few games. That wait-and-see stance could complicate any efforts to include him in a swap deal with Chelsea…and Bayern may just have to strike to land Nkunku first.
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