LONDON — Promising French striker Mathys Tel has signed on loan with Tottenham Hotspur from Bayern Munich as of Monday, following a challenging period where his playing time diminished at the German club.

The 19-year-old forward attracted interest from various teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, and Marseille. He will remain with Spurs until the end of the season, after which the Premier League team holds the option to finalize a permanent transfer during the summer transfer window.

The transfer was contingent upon securing international clearance and a work permit. Previously, Bayern’s sporting director Christoph Freund had expressed the intention to retain Tel, highlighting his importance to the squad.

However, with only 14 appearances across all competitions and none being complete matches, the lack of opportunities led Freund to reconsider the decision and allow Tel to seek playing time elsewhere.

Tel was brought to Bayern in July 2022 from French side Rennes for a reported fee of around 30 million euros (approximately $30.6 million) when he was just 17 years old. Shortly after joining, he made history by becoming Bayern’s youngest goal-scorer in a German Cup match at the age of 17 years and 126 days, surpassing the previous record held by teammate Jamal Musiala.

During his first season, Tel netted five times in 22 Bundesliga outings and followed it up with seven goals in 30 matches last season. However, under new head coach Vincent Kompany, he has seen limited game time, as the coach has preferred to use Musiala in an advanced role when Harry Kane has been absent due to injury.

Tel has had just one start this season alongside Kane in a match against Borussia Dortmund in November, but he was unable to find the back of the net and was substituted for Kingsley Coman before the match concluded. He has yet to score in any competition this season.