Bayern Munich striker Mathys Tel has rejected a move to Tottenham, talkSPORT understands.
It means Spurs have been dealt a bitter blow late in the January window as Tel decided to snub a switch to North London.
They had been working overtime to persuade the 19-year-old to join them amid interest from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United.
The fact that they were willing to bring Tel in on a permanent deal was appealing to Bayern, but the final decision came down to the player.
And unfortunately for Ange Postecoglou and Tottenham, Tel was not keen on the move and won’t be joining the club.
On Wednesday evening, after a 3-1 Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava, Tel stayed behind for what seemed to be his final goodbye to Bayern fans.
Meanwhile, for their game on Saturday against Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga, he’s not expected to be part of the German giants’ squad.
“He has said he would like to leave,” said Bayern sporting director Max Eberl. “Now we have to think about whether we will do it and what we will do.”
It’s clear that Tottenham won’t be his destination but reports claim that a loan move to another club could still be on the cards.
As many as seven clubs are said to be trying to sign Tel before the window closes on Monday night.
Among them are Spurs’ top-flight rivals Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United, as well as Aston Villa.
But Tottenham were pushing the hardest, with technical director Johan Lange going to Bavaria to convince the Frenchman of a move.
However, despite the effort, the deal has come crashing down.
With Harry Kane ahead in Vincent Kompany‘s pecking order, Tel has struggled for minutes despite showing promise.
He scored ten goals and assisted six times last season but has struggled to replicate that form with the Frenchman yet to score this term.
Tel has only played 458 minutes this campaign and is yet to play more than 65 minutes in a game.
But after missing out on him, Spurs remain desperate to sign a new forward before the transfer window closes after missing out to Juventus on PSG’s Randal Kolo Muani.
As reported by finance expert Stefan Borson on talkSPORT, Spurs could splash £180m and still not break financial regulations.
Mathyls Tel Next Club
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Postecoglou’s side continue to struggle amid a host of crippling injuries, currently sitting 15th in the Premier League.
They face Brentford on Sunday afternoon before full focus turns to their Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Liverpool.
The club will want to have a new striker by that time after the transfer window closes on Monday night.
It won’t be Tel, so they are going to have to assess their options.
One of their back-up strikers, youngster Will Lankshear, has left the club on loan for the rest of the season.
So that leaves them with even shorter options up top.