The last 24 hours have seen Bayern Munich suddenly become active in the winter transfer window. The Bavarian club has consistently insisted that there will be no incomings in January, and the focus will be on extending the contracts of several senior players. However, it looks like Die Roten are ready to splurge on former Bundesliga player Christopher Nkunku.
Multiple reports in England and Germany have reported Bayern’s interest in Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku. The French forward is open to completing a permanent move to Bavaria, while Chelsea have shown interest in signing Mathys Tel from Bayern.
However, there is a fair amount of work to be done for both deals to go ahead. According to The Athletic and Daily Telegraph, Chelsea want close to £65 million for Nkunku. The French forward’s contract at Chelsea expires in 2029, which gives the London-based club leverage to demand a big fee.
Considering the returns from Nkunku at Stamford Bridge over the last 18 months, Bayern are unlikely to go anywhere near Chelsea’s valuation. They do have the nod from the player, but negotiations are likely to be complex unless Bayern propose a swap deal involving Tel.
Bayern pour cold water on reports linking Tel to Chelsea
Amidst speculation around Tel’s future, Christoph Freund insisted that Bayern have complete faith in the young forward. While talking to the media on Tuesday, Die Roten’s sporting director insisted that Tel remains part of their long-term plans.
Freund on Mathys Tel: "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… pic.twitter.com/k4cUTfSeIe
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) January 14, 2025
Tel has struggled for game time this season, but he remains determined to stay in Munich. The French forward has been subject to interest from several clubs over the last two months regarding a loan transfer during the winter transfer window. However, positive talks between Kompany and Tel at the start of January suggested the teenager is not going anywhere this month.
It will take a drastic turn of events for Tel to leave Bavaria in the current transfer window. As good as a player Nkunku has been in the Bundesliga before joining Chelsea, it will be a strange decision from Die Roten to give up on Tel after investing so much in him two years ago.
Even though the reports linking Nkunku to Bayern are credible, it will be a massive surprise if the Bavarian club ends up completing the deal. Since the Bavarian club wants to sign Florian Wirtz in the summer, spending so much on Nkunku midway through the season may hamper their spending at the end of the campaign.