Tottenham Hotspur's board "appreciates" young Bayern Munich striker Mathys Tel and will try to include the youngster in any deal to sell club talisman Harry Kane, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
What is the latest Harry Kane transfer news?
This year's Harry Kane saga continues to rumble on as Bayern Munich seem resolute in bringing the England captain to Bavaria before the clock strikes 11pm on 1st September.
The six-time European champions have already had two offers rejected by the Lilywhites this summer, with the second being worth €80m (£69m), and according to The Guardian, they are now prepared to reach €100m (£86m) to secure the 30-year-old's signature.
Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…
The two clubs are set to meet in person next week to discuss the situation, which suggests a deal might be possible, considering Spurs's stance just a few weeks ago.
The north Londoners are also said to be interested in Bayern's exciting young striker Tel – a player that Thomas Thuchel is keen to keep but could be tempted into selling should that help bring Kane to the Allianz Arena.
That said, while Tottenham are certainly fans of the young Frenchman, they're yet to officially speak to him, per Romano.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"So Bayern and Tottenham are expected to meet at the beginning of next week for Harry Kane. Today [Friday] we had rumours from England about Mathys Tel as one of the players appreciated by Tottenham, and it's true that someone [on] the board appreciates Mathys Tel.
"But the point is that at the moment, on the player's side, they have not received any direct approach from Tottenham, and the idea of Mathys Tel has always been to stay at Bayern and fight for his place at Bayern.
"So the only way for Tottenham to include Mathys Tel in the deal is if the player speaks to Bayern, and Bayern tells him, 'we want you out of the club' – that's the only way. Otherwise, Mathys Tel will not be part of this deal."
How good is Mathys Tel?
Fans outside of Germany can be forgiven for not knowing a great deal about Bayern's newest young prodigy, especially since, at just 18, last year was his first full season of senior football.
The Sarelles-born prospect made seven substitute appearances for Ligue 1 side Rennes in the 2021/22 campaign before earning himself a £24m move to the German champions last summer.
However, it was a mixed campaign for the youngster as he only started one game in the league, coming off the bench a further 21 times and amassing a total of 399 Bundesliga minutes, but he did manage to score five goals in that time.
It could be the efficiency at which he scored, coupled with frankly outrageous underlying numbers that have piqued Spurs' interest.
According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the young forward sits in the top 10% for a number of attributes, including progressive passes received, blocks, non-penalty goals, shots, touches in the opposition's penalty area, interceptions, progressive carries, attempted passes, pass completion and successful take-ons per 90.
With numbers like those, it's easy to understand why former Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann was so happy with his arrival last summer, saying:
"Mathys is a very talented young player. He can play in several positions, and he is very fast as well as strong. He can become one of the best attackers.
"He is not a like-for-like replacement for [Lewandowski], which is normal at this age. However, if he scores 10 goals this coming season, we will all be very happy. I hope that he will one day score 40 goals per season."
While the Spurs faithful will understandably be desperate to keep hold of Kane for at least one more year, if Tel comes the other way with cash as well, they can at least rest assured that they could have another star striker on their hands.