Update: New Bayern Munich striker Mathys Tel completes medical check, signing is imminent

Update: July 25th, 7:30AM EST — Mathys Tel completes medical check

Things could happen fast from here. Mathys Tel has completed his medical exam in Munich per Sport1’s Kerry Hau:

Barring something crazy, Tel’s official signing is imminent.

Update: July 24th, 2:30PM EST — Mathys Tel could take the #9 jersey immediately

Big new update from Bild. According to them, Mathys Tel could take over the vacant #9 shirt at Bayern Munich immediately after his arrival. The player’s medical and contract signing is expected on Monday, and he should be able to join the team on Tuesday.

Julian Nagelsmann praised the youngster for his talent and started setting expectations, saying, “He’s not a one-to-one replacement for Lewy — that’s normal at that age. Maybe he can score ten goals this season, then we would be very happy.”

Ten goals from a teenager on this squad would be quite something.

Update: July 23rd, 3:30PM EST — More details emerge regarding the Mathys Tel transfer

No, Bayern Munich did not pay €30m for a 17-year-old. According to reports by both Bild and Sport1, the transfer fee is 20m guaranteed + 8.5 million in add-ons, with the player and his agent paying part of the guaranteed fee to Rennes. So the actual cost for Bayern is lower than even 28.5m. Still a steep price, but better than the 40m that was initially reported.

Here is Kerry Hau with the story:

Tel will reportedly travel to Munich tomorrow for his medical and contract signing, after which the signing will be announced. The bosses want him training in the Sabener Strasse by Tuesday.

This concludes Bayern’s search for a new striker this summer. No other forwards will be signed.

Update: July 23rd, 2:25PM EST — German sources confirm Bayern Munich and Rennes have a deal in place for Mathys Tel

The price is significantly cheaper than what was reported. According to Florian Plettenberg, the total package is worth 28.5m euros including add-ons. A medical followed by an official announcement should be coming soon, maybe after the Manchester City match.

Update: July 23rd, 1:15PM EST — Rennes and Bayern Munich have agreed a deal for Mathys Tel according to multiple sources

We suddenly have a barrage of reports out of France! While German sources have been somewhat out of the loop on this one, Loic Tanzi of L’Equipe, Benjamin Quarez of Le Parisien, and Santi Aouna of Foot Mercato have all claimed that the deal is done.

Here’s the fabulous Fabrizio Romano coming in with the confirmation as well.

Meanwhile, Florian Plettenberg says that the final announcement is imminent:

It’s been almost a week since Bayern Munich made their most recent bid to Stade Rennais for their striker talent Mathys Tel. In that time, the French side have been mysteriously quiet, refusing to say a word in reply to the offer. The player himself has been left out of Rennes’ preseason campaign, and reports say that his locker has been emptied out. So what is going on?

Well, according to a report by Santi Aouna, Tel’s transfer to Bayern Munich is in its very final stages. The player could cost up to 40m euros including add-ons, making him one of the most expensive 17-year-olds ever. It’s not known how much of that is guaranteed, but the fee could be even higher than what Real Madrid paid to acquire Eduardo Camavinga last summer.

It’s obvious to see why Bayern are doing this. The loss of Robert Lewandowski to FC Barcelona means that the club NEED a new striker. Beating DC United 6-2 is all well and good, but preseason games don’t hold a candle to the knockout rounds of the Champions League.

Even so, the signing of Tel seems like a huge gamble by the Bayern bosses. Per reports, he’s seen as the next Benzema — an absurdly talented French youth striker. However he barely has any top flight experience, and at only seventeen years old, he’ll need a few seasons before he can start contributing consistently for Bayern. For reference, he’s younger than both Jamal Musiala and Alphonso Davies when they started getting regular minutes at the club, and both those players were already exceptionally young.

Is this move going to work out for Bayern? Or will it be another Renato Sanches scenario? We’ll have to wait and see. Until then, Rennes maintain their mysterious silence, and we have no idea if the deal is even progressing or not.