Thomas Muller keen on Man Utd move but must hand Bayern Munich transfer request

Posted Thursday, August 20, 2015 by Dailystar.co.uk

THOMAS MULLER will have to hand in a transfer request at Bayern Munich if he wants to secure a £60m move to Manchester United.

United are willing to hand Muller a staggering £1m-a-month in a bid to lure him to Old Trafford and have lodged a huge bid for the superstar striker.

Boss Louis van Gaal is desperate to sign the German World Cup winner before the transfer window closes and add some much needed firepower to his attack.

The bid equals the club record they paid for Argentine flop Angel di Maria when he joined them from Real Madrid last summer.

Starsport can reveal United bosses are prepared to give Muller a long-term deal worth £250,000-a-week that would make him one of the highest-paid stars in the Premier League.

A United source said: "He is the one the club wants more than anyone else.

VALUABLE ASSET: Muller will have to hand in a transfer request to force an exit

"With him in the side, United could genuinely challenge for major honours again and they are willing to break the bank to get him.

"But he will have to force the issue himself and make it clear he wants to leave Bayern. It is all down to him now."

Starsport understands Muller is keen but Bayern chiefs want to keep him and are reluctant to sell a second big name to United this summer following the departure of Bastian Schweinsteiger in a £10m deal.

Bayern's chief operating officer Karl-Heinze Rummenigge told supporters he "will not let another player leave for Manchester United" after Schweinsteiger's departure.

Muller admits he has a special relationship with former Bayern boss Van Gaal and United hope Schweinsteiger can help persuade his international team-mate to join him at Old Trafford.

MOVED ON: Falcao (left) and Van Persie have left United

Muller, who is under contract with Pep Guardiola's men until 2017, said: "Louis van Gaal and I have a relationship that goes beyond that which is normal between a player and a coach."

Having lost out to Chelsea in their bid to sign Barcelona's Pedro, Van Gaal knows he needs to land a proven, world class forward more than ever - and Muller fits the bill.

He has allowed Robin van Persie and Radamel Falcao to leave this summer without replacing them.

It means he has gone into the new campaign with Wayne Rooney as his first-choice recognised forward, with James Wilson and Javier Hernandez providing backup.

Rooney admits he must do better after making a poor start to the season.

"I've had one bad game this season and everyone's all over it," he said. "I know I've had that all throughout my career, but hopefully at the weekend I can get off the mark.

"I'm an honest guy, I know when I haven't played well and against Aston Villa I was below my standards - and I know that.

"Fortunately I had a much better game against Brugge and could have got a goal or two, but that's football.

"It's early on in the season. Everyone will write about the end of last season and the beginning of this season, but we're three games into the new season, so it's down to me to keep going."