By DAN KARELL
Manchester United manager Louis Van Gaal hinted at a surprise signing this summer, and the German media are reporting that the surprise signing could be Bayern Munich forward Thomas Müller.
According to multiple reports, Man United could offer Bayern €100 million (approx. $109 million) to pry away the 25-year-old, after Bayern rejected a reported €82 million ($89.35 million) offer last week. Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge assured his club’s fans that he didn’t intend to sell another player to Man United, but the transfer fee could be enough to force his hand.
Müller, who currently has a contract at Bayern through 2019, scored 21 goals last season in all competitions playing as a withdrawn forward behind Robert Lewandowski. For the German National Team, Müller has scored 27 goals since making his debut in 2010, including 10 goals in World Cup competition.
Bayern captain Philipp Lahm stoked the fires of the rumor flames by claiming that he couldn’t guarantee that Müller would still be around by the end of the transfer window.
“It’s not my decision,” Lahm said in Shanghai, via the Guardian. “Things can happen very quickly in football. I certainly can’t provide any guarantee for Thomas Müller [staying].”
Here are some more stories to kick off your Tuesday:
MESSI, NEYMAR ABSENT FOR BARCELONA U.S. TOUR
Barcelona fans who were looking forward to seeing Lionel Messi and Neymar play for the club in the USA this summer will be left disappointed.
Barcelona manager Luis Enrique confirmed in a press conference on Monday in Los Angeles that Messi had been left off the Barcelona roster that is taking part in their preseason training and matches in the USA.
“Messi’s season is almost never-ending and he needs to rest,” Enrique told reporters. “Messi isn’t in the USA because he needs a holiday and I’m not going to change that no matter what commitments there are on tour.”
In addition, Spanish publication Marca is reporting that the club have decided to give Neymar an additional week of rest, and have him join up with the squad at the end of July.
He was originally slated to join the squad in the U.S. on July 25, but he will now meet-up with his teammates in Barcelona on July 30.
Messi, Javier Mascherano, and Claudio Bravo are expected back at training on Aug. 3.
STERLING SCORES IN MAN CITY DEBUT
Playing for the first time in the sky blue of Manchester City, Raheem Sterling gave his new fans a positive impression.
In just the third minute of his first start, Sterling beat the offside trap and scored easily on a breakaway. Man City ended up tying AS Roma, 2-2 in regulation, and the English club won the match, 5-4 on penalty kicks.
Sterling was substituted at halftime.
EL TRI’S CORONA RULED OUT OF REST OF GOLD CUP
One of the most under-appreciated players on the Mexican National Team squad at the Gold Cup will miss the rest of the tournament due to injury.
The Mexican Football Federation announced on Monday that centerback Yasser Corona would miss the semifinals and potentially the final if Mexico makes it that far after suffering a knee cartilage injury in the quarterfinals against Costa Rica.
Corona was a surprise call-up for El Tri at the Gold Cup, having not made an appearance for El Tri in the past, but he started in each of Mexico’s last two matches. Corona was substituted in second half stoppage time of El Tri’s controversial 1-0 victory in extra time over Costa Rica last Sunday.
QUICK KICKS
Atletico Madrid have signed Montenegrin defender Stefan Savic on a five-year contract from Fiorentina. (REPORT)
Olympique Lyon have signed Samuel Umtiti and Jordan Ferri to contract extensions through 2019 and 2020, respectively. (REPORT)
Paris Saint-Germain have signed French Tottenham youngster Benjamin Stambouli on a five-year contract. (REPORT)
Newcastle United have completed the signing of Anderlecht starlet Aleksandar Mitrović, with the Serbian international signing a five-year contract. (REPORT)
Barcelona defender Adriano is closing in on a reported move to AS Roma. (REPORT)
An Indonesian man has been jailed for 30 months for match-fixing. (REPORT)
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What do you think of these reports? Do you see Müller moving to Man United? Do you see Man United spending that kind of money? What do you think of Enrique’s decision to leave off Messi and Neymar from the team’s U.S. tour?
Share your thoughts below.
Muller is a great player, he will add a lot of experience to the side
If “United” get Muller to go along with all their other signings, they will be hard to beat. Not sure they have caught Chelsea, “Citeh” and others but they are looking good!
I’m not sure Muller would be a good fit for ManU.
I’ve been wondering the same thing. Where does Rooney play if Muller is the “in the hole” guy? What does the passing movement and defensive shape look like.
Could this be a move to push Rooney or make him surplus to requirements.
MULLER > rooney
Muller is a very versatile, very unselfish, very classy player. He is also only 25 and is as good as it gets..
If you have a chance to get him, you get him even it if means having to disrupt the older, less accomplished Rooney.
I like Muller a lot, but before any team sinks $109 million transfer fee into any player, I would think they have carefully analyzed how they intend to use the player. Messi on the wrong team might look like he did five years ago at the World Cup, and on the right team like he does at Barca or last year at the World Cup. Argentina last year built its attack around Messi. Is Muller good enough to rebuild around? Maybe, but not clear.
If there really is a serious bid for Muller, then my guess would be that Van Gaal is on board with it and has “carefully analyzed” the situation and has a plan.
Van Gaal is the guy,I believe, who first put Muller into the Bayern senior team. My guess is he has a pretty good idea of what he would do with him should he get him.
Muller would be just one piece of the rebuild that has been going on since Van Gaal got there.
A very expensive piece but still just one piece. You can never have enough talented players.
Muller is one of Van Gaal’s “favorites” a term much despised on SBI but accurate for a reason. Blind, for example is a Van Gaal “favorite” and that seems to have worked out pretty well. Same with Depay and we will see how that goes.
Messi is not a good example of players that don’t quite fit.
It seems as if the managers for Argentina did not have the same kind of control of the situation that Van Gaal appears to have at Man U. For quite a long time Messi scored for Argentina at exactly half the rate he scored for Barca. That has since changed.
I assume ManU wants Muller for midfielder, unless they are thinking of swapping out the formation altogether. I didn’t think they were looking for a Rooney replacement, but who knows? The two teams aren’t much alike and it’s not easy to see Muller fitting in as well at ManU as in Munich.