are reportedly eyeing up a move for man Mathys Tel, but one former Blues boss is said to have a frosty relationship with the striker.

The London-based outfit are claimed to have opened negotiations with Tel, as Enzo Maresca aims to bolster his options during the January window.

But , who spent a successful year-and-a-half stint with Chelsea, has previously been described as giving the starlet a 'slap in the face'.

Germany's World Cup-winning captain Lothar Matthaus criticised former Bayern chief Tuchel for not giving Tel enough minutes on the pitch when he was in charge of the Bavarian side.

Speaking to local outlet , Matthaus said: "Tel has received a lot of praise from Tuchel, but praise alone is not what the player wants, he wants playing time...

"If three players are out, it's a slap in the face for a young player [Tel] when the second centre-forward [Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting] is preferred and [Jamal] Musiala and [Thomas] Muller play in positions that they might not necessarily be in want to play."

He continued: "That's nothing against Thomas Tuchel, he sometimes just has a different attitude to players and positions than I do, but according to my football mind, Tel shouldn't have played until the last quarter of an hour.

"For me, Tel is someone who has the Bayern Munich DNA.

"He didn't get enough playing time - not just in Bochum, but also at the beginning of the season when he scored a lot of goals when he came on. He doesn't always want to just be a joker."

A scathing assessment of Tuchel's player ID, but given Tel has made just seven Bundesliga appearances all season, it's likely Matthaus will be equally frustrated with incumbent Bayern boss Vincent Kompany.

There has been talk of a deal for Tel that involves Christopher Nkunku, given the Frenchman has found minutes hard to come by under Maresca this term.

However, according to the Chelsea manager, who was quizzed on his club's transfer plans earlier this week, there are no particular plans to get rid of players this month.

Maresca said: "We don't need to sell, it's just that probably someone wants to play more and so there's a possibility that they want to leave."

Chelsea return to action with a Monday night clash against Wolves next week, before travelling to the Premier League champions on Saturday, January 25.