Manchester United are among a host of clubs to have enquired over Bayern Munich wantaway Mathys Tel.

Assuming journalist Paul O Keefe’s recent claim is anything to go by, the Red Devils are Tel’s priority destination if a deal can come to fruition before Monday, as he told Tottenham Hotspur fans yesterday: “The boy wants Man Utd. Let’s see how Bayern play that.”

Now, it looks as though United have taken heed of such murmurings by making their initial approach for the 19-year-old. Fabrizio Romano confirmed this morning a call had been made to Bayern chiefs – though the Reds aren’t the only Premier League outfit testing their resolve.

“The race for Mathys Tel is starting to heat up with Premier League clubs pushing,” Romano revealed on X/Twitter. “Tottenham open to invest on permanent transfer — as their director was in attendance in Munich last night.

“Chelsea are still there, also for a permanent deal, Man United called for a loan deal.”

United must present a worthwhile proposal for Tel

The issue in United’s case is that Bayern may well opt for the highest bidder to sanction the exit of their sought-after prospect, and having just signed off on a permanent deal for Patrick Dorgu, funds are incredibly limited until the summer window.

That could pave the way for Spurs or Chelsea to pip their noses in front and meet the Bundesliga giants’ demands, given that money is no object for the two London clubs.

Behind the scenes, there’s no doubt Ruben Amorim is pushing for the board to grant him the signing. Tel, an under-21 French international, would instantly bolster United’s attack amid Marcus Rashford’s exile and Alejandro Garnacho’s uncertain future.

Ex-Bayern Sporting Director Hasan Salihamidžić said of the teenager after his meteoric breakthrough: “He feels very comfortable in the middle, as a centre forward or a false nine. If Mathys comes from the left, he can get into goalscoring positions a bit better. He has everything a really good offensive player needs.”

He added that Tel is ‘very ambitious, greedy, hard-working and has a top mentality,’ which is further proven in the fact the player ‘works on his days off.’