Bayern Munich are still committed to offering Mathys Tel a pathway at the club despite Chelsea's continued interest. According to sporting director Christoph Freund, who himself was wanted by Chelsea in the past, no plans to make significant attacking changes exist.

However, that could all change if Chelsea were to make a direct offer for Tel. It is understood that Chelsea will bid for the player if they are encouraged that a January deal could be completed. An enquiry for the 19-year-old has been made after initial contact over the summer.

Tel is a player Chelsea admire but he still has four-and-a-half years left on his current contract, complicating matters and raising his value after an extension less than 12 months ago. The versatile Frenchman moved to Bayern in 2022 from Stade Rennais but hasn't become a regular starter yet.

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Of his seven Bundesliga appearances under Vincent Kompany, only two of those have been from the start. Tel is yet to score this season but did manage to bag 10 in all competitions last year with six assists despite playing less than 1,500 minutes.

Interest in him from Chelsea is separate to Bayern's own potential move for Christopher Nkunku. A swap deal is not currently being discussed.

Despite the mid-season talk, the Bavarian giants remain set on bringing Tel into a more significant role. "Mathys Tel is a very important player for us, we are in very good contact because he's a great talent and should play an important role for us," Freund said on Tuesday morning.

"We have had many discussions. Our clear goal is for Mathys to make his breakthrough with us. We are very happy with our squad, quality and quantity wise. Of course, if a player is unhappy, we can talk about it. Our clear plan with Mathys is for him to make his breakthrough here."

The director added that there are no plans, as it stands, to pursue other forwards either, unless things change. That could hinge on Nkunku's future, with the Chelsea man unhappy at his game time in the first five months of the season.

Chelsea are not pushing to move on from the 27-year-old but would consider their options should he leave Stamford Bridge. The club have 19-year-old Marc Guiu as backup to Nicolas Jackson up front, whilst Nkunku himself has acted as second drop and rotation in the position.

It is not his favoured role, though. Enzo Maresca has so far been unwilling to create room for him behind an orthodox No.9, turning instead to Cole Palmer in a central position and preferring Joao Felix as well.

Tel is able to play both on the left - where he has been more often than not in the past 18 months at Bayern - and as a striker. He appears to be a more natural fit centrally than Nkunku due to his physical presence and previous experience in the spot.