Berlin, Jul 26 (IANS): The 17-year-old French striker Mathys Tel seems to trigger a great deal of imagination around Bayern Munich.
Expectations appear paramount as the Bavarians dug deep to invest 28.5 million euros in signing the youngster from Stade Rennais.
His nickname sounds promising, as fans have named the French under-17 European champion "mini-Mbappe."
Julian Nagelsmann seems to see tempting comparisons when it comes to the 23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star, who won the 2018 FIFA World Cup with France.
The Bayern coach doesn't seem to see the new arrival as an immediate successor to recently-departed star striker Robert Lewandowski, but is predicting a bright future.
The 34-year-old is convinced "we will see 40 goals per season of him one day" but added, that the club is happy with about 10 this season, reports Xinhua.
Tel isn't seen as a direct replacement for Lewandowski, the Bayern manager said. "That's normal at his age," he added, but mentioned that he is expecting Tel to develop into one of football's best strikers.
Nagelsmann said the French youngster is a "very young but highly talented player" capable of covering various positions as "he is fast and physically strong."
The Bayern coach said finding young and talented players "and developing them into world-class performers" is the main issue of the reigning German champions.
Bayern chairman Oliver Kahn spoke of Tel's signing as another statement that his club is working on a successful future.
Never before has Bayern invested such a high sum for a 17-year-old.
Having to replace Lewandowski, who departed to Barcelona for 50 million euros, is said to be one of Bayern's most pressing tasks for the 2022-23 season.
While the Bavarians have signed forward Sadio Mane from Liverpool and defender Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, as well as Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui from Ajax, a gap upfront seems obvious.
After Lewandowski left, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (33) and Joshua Zirkzee (21) are Bayern's only remaining options for the striking job.
Media reports speak of Tel and his management having covered Rennes' demand to receive the full payment of 20 million euros right away, while Bayern only accepted paying in instalments.
The move to Bayern appears like a journey into a new world for Tel, as he only played 50 goalless minutes in seven short appearances for Rennes, who finished fourth in the French league last season, reports Xinhua.
German media mentioned the high success rate of expensive gifted youngsters having made their breakthroughs in the past.
These include Jude Bellingham, who joined Borussia Dortmund for 25 million euros as a 17-year-old, Pedri joining Barca at age 16 for 17.5 million euros, and Eduardo Camavinga. Real paid 31 million for the then-18-year-old, who, like Tel, developed at Rennes.