Tottenham Hotspur have told Mathys Tel that they currently have no plans to let him leave the club this month, though there are circumstances in which that could change, TEAMtalk understands, while a loan bid for a second Spurs star has also been rejected.
The French striker moved to Tottenham Hotspur one year ago, having failed to convince Vincent Kompany he was worthy of a regular start at Bayern Munich. Joining on an initial loan, the move was turned into a permanent £30m (€35m, $41m) transfer back in June.
However, the deal is yet to truly pay dividends and the 20-year-old striker has managed just six goals in 38 appearances for Spurs so far.
Tel voiced concerns to Spurs earlier this month that he was not playing enough, and news broke over the weekend that his camp have been busy contacting various clubs in the New Year to assess the situation.
Indeed, it was revealed that Tel was ‘listening to exit offers’ as he weighs up a future away from north London and with a host of clubs from throughout Europe having since made contact with Spurs to register their interest in the France Under-21s striker.
Tel has started just five league games all season, though he has been named in Thomas Frank’s starting XI in the last three matches.
We can now reveal that Spurs have now informed Tel, as well as his potential suitors, that a deal is currently not being considered.
A source confirmed that Spurs respect Tel’s situation, in that he believes regular football could result in him making a push for the French World Cup squad, but the club do not feel they are in a position to let him go.
However, we are informed that should Spurs be successful in bringing in another forward, which they are trying to do, they would reassess Tel’s situation.
Tel himself sees a long-term future for himself in North London, but his main concern is for the rest of this season.
His former club Paris FC are one team who are willing to offer him regular football, but they are not alone with numerous sides also keen.
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Tottenham reject Radu Dragusin approach; pressure builds on Thomas Frank
Meanwhile, Tottenham have rejected a loan bid from Roma for Radu Dragusin, with the Romanian star seemingly open to a move away after a frustrating two-year spell in N17.
Dragusin, 23, became the most expensive Romanian footballer of all time upon joining Tottenham two years ago. The centre-back cost €25m when signed from Genoa, though suffered an ACL injury last January that robbed the defender of nearly a year of his career.
Dragusin has since returned to full fitness and has been included in Spurs’ last six matchday squads.
However, when all are fit, Dragusin appears unlikely to feature all that much in north London, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven the first-choice pairing and Kevin Danso providing adequate support.
As such, Serie A title challengers Roma sensed an opportunity to strike, and according to Sky Italia, they lodged a loan approach. Per the report, the loan bid also contained an option to buy, though how much for was not made clear.
Tottenham have now responded to the bid, with Sky Sports now confirming the offer has been rejected.
However, if the words from his agent are anything to go by, then a move will be sanctioned in due course.
Elsewhere, Thomas Frank is coming under increasing pressure at Spurs, and one observer believes it’ll all implode if one thing happens, while TEAMtalk have been provided with an exclusive update on the state of play in north London.
In other news, Tottenham are exploring a move for Conor Gallagher and are aware it’s now or never as they strive to sign the 22-times capped England international.
Spurs have also reportedly tabled an offer of £52million to sign a brilliant Real Madrid player, as the north London outfit look to appease a fanbase that is growing increasingly agitated.