MUNICH — Bayern Munich’s sporting director, Christoph Freund, recently confirmed that the club intends to retain the services of young forward Mathys Tel, despite speculation linking him to a transfer to Chelsea. Freund emphasized that the 19-year-old is a “very important player” for the team and underscored the club’s commitment to his growth and development.

On Tuesday, Freund expressed confidence in the player’s talents, stating, “We have a very good dialogue because he’s a big talent who should take on an important role for us. We’ve had a lot of conversations. Our clear aim is that Mathys will make the breakthrough with us.” He also noted that while the club is open to discussions if a player expresses unhappiness, they are determined to stick to their developmental strategy for Tel.

These remarks from Freund come in response to various reports from both British and German media suggesting that Chelsea has shown interest in acquiring Tel. Some sources have proposed that a potential deal could involve Chelsea’s underperforming forward, Christopher Nkunku, moving to Bayern in exchange.

Tel made history as Bayern’s youngest-ever goalscorer when he scored in a cup match in August 2022 at just 17 years and 126 days old, breaking a record previously held by teammate Jamal Musiala. Having joined Bayern from Rennes earlier in 2022, Tel impressed last season by scoring 10 goals across all competitions. However, he has yet to find the net this season, having played in 12 matches under coach Vincent Kompany, but starting only two of those games. His most recent start was in a Bundesliga match on September 1.

As Bayern prepares for their next game on Wednesday against Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, Coach Kompany has indicated that Musiala may return to the lineup after missing a recent victory against Borussia Moenchengladbach due to illness.