Manchester United refused to meet the £5 million loan fee Bayern Munich were demanding to sign Mathys Tel on loan which has seen the French attacker instead join Premier League rival Tottenham Hotspur.
Tel, 19, emerged as an unlikely target for United heading into the final week of the January transfer window after unexpectedly pushing for an exit from Bayern over a lack of first-team minutes under Vincent Kompany.
Regarded as one of the most highly-rated attacking prospects in world football, Tel’s sudden availability is reported to have put a host of club’s across Europe on red-alert, including United, Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea.
But it was the Lilywhites who struck first, agreeing a £50 million deal with Bayern to sign Tel on a permanent transfer. The club’s chief executive Daniel Levy then travelled to Bavaria to seal the deal with face-to-face negotiations.
However, Tel rejected Spurs’ approach during these talks, with a report relayed by The Peoples Person revealing the 19-year-old’s preference was a switch to Old Trafford – “the boy wants United”.
United executives had launched their own enquiry for Tel with a loan move with a purchase option the Red Devils’ preference, due to the club’s precarious PSR position. Bayern officials preferred a straight sale or a loan with an obligation clause, having already seen a £50 million cash injection fall through after Tel rejected Spurs.
But, in a transfer saga which quickly emerged as the most unpredictable race in the winter window, it was then revealed Tel would actually be joining the London club, in a surprise loan deal without an obligation to buy.
And now James Ducker (The Telegraph) has explained why United’s pursuit of Tel failed where their domestic rival succeeded.
No further incomings expected at #MUFC before deadline. United baulked at the £5m loan fee Bayern demanded for Mathys Tel – considered expensive risk for largely unproven 19yo. So Rashford and Antony out on loan with no replacements expected. Malacia set to join PSV on loan
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) February 3, 2025
Tweet: “No further incomings expected at #MUFC before deadline. United baulked at the £5m loan fee Bayern demanded for Mathys Tel – considered expensive risk for largely unproven 19yo. So Rashford and Antony out on loan with no replacements expected. Malacia set to join PSV on loan.”
Ducker reveals Bayern were demanding a”£5 million loan fee” for Tel’s services until the end of the season – a price the reporter states “United baulked at”.
Old Trafford officials considered £5 million an “expensive risk for [a] largely unproven 19-year-old” – a seemingly fair assessment if the context of United’s misfiring forward line having been further depleted by the loss of Antony and Marcus Rashford in their loan deals (to Real Betis and Aston Villa respectively).
United’s decision to conclude their winter transfer window without the addition of a forward, despite head coach Ruben Amorim reportedly having requested reinforcements, will likely define the rest of an otherwise dismal season for the Red Devils.
The club’s last remaining opportunities for success lie in the cups – the FA Cup and Europa League – with the league campaign a write off; but a new forward, with the highly-regarded talent of Tel, would surely have been a boost to United’s hopes in either competition.
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
