Arsenal and Manchester United appear to be the final two teams in the race to sign Mathys Tel this month, with the player yet to make a final decision on his future.
Fabrizio Romano reports that both Manchester United and Arsenal are currently in contact with Mathys Tel’s camp, with the player considering his options.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Thierry Henry are reportedly two of Tel’s biggest idols, so he has a personal connection to both clubs, and there’s still a good chance he leaves Bayern Munich before Monday’s transfer deadline.
But everyone is still waiting on final decision, with Arsenal renewing their contact with another phone call in the last few hours.
Tel has courted plenty of interest from the Premier League, but one by one many of the clubs in the race have dropped away.
Tottenham Hotspur were perhaps the leading suitor for a while, reaching a £50m verbal agreement for the signing. But it all fell apart when Tel himself had to decide whether to move to Spurs.
Sky Germany reported that Tel wasn’t convinced by Spurs’ project, and he didn’t feel it was the right step for him. Tel has been keen on a January move, but he told Bayern that if his only two options were to sign for Spurs or stay at Bayern, he’d rather not make a transfer at all.
19-year-old Tel has played just 458 minutes for Bayern this season, providing one assist. The forward scored or assisted 16 goals in 1,406 minutes last season, but it seems his form is starting to suffer for his inconsistent gametime.
As well as playing at centre-forward, Tel can also operate on the wings, so he’d make a versatile addition if Arsenal can get it done.