Bastian Schweinsteiger to Manchester United: Bayern Munich midfielder close to Premier League switch after rejecting contract extension

Schweinsteiger is out of contract next summer and Bayern Munich look ready to cash in on the World Cup winner rather than risk losing him for nothing

Bastian Schweinsteiger is close to joining Manchester United (Getty Images)

Manchester United are on the verge of signing Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger after he decided not to renew his contract with the German side.

World Cup winner Schweinsteiger is out of contract next summer and has elected not to renew his deal, with the club set to sell the 30-year-old central midfielder this summer instead of lose him on a free transfer in a years’ time.

With United eager to add to their squad following the signing of Memphis Depay, they have launched a move for the Bayern stalwart, and while a fee is yet to be agreed between the two clubs, the BBC claims that the Premier League club are willing to give Schweinsteiger a significant pay rise in order to convince him to follow Louis van Gaal to Old Trafford.

Van Gaal worked with Schweinsteiger during his time as Bayern manager, and it’s believed that he has personally persuaded the midfielder to join his United squad in a statement of intent that the club’s title challenge this season is a realistic one.

Schweinsteiger helped Bayern to the Bundesliga title last season (Getty Images)

Having made his Bayern debut in 2002, Schweinsteiger has racked up an incredible 536 appearances for the Bavarian club, while collecting 111 caps for Germany that included the successful 2014 World Cup campaign.

United are keen to sign high-profile names this summer in their bid to return to the top of English football and they remain undeterred in their pursuit of Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos. With Real unwilling to sell the Spaniard, they could have their hand forced to let the centre-back leave if they want to complete their move for United goalkeeper David De Gea after the two clubs reached a stalemate in their individual pursuit of their top transfer targets.

Schweinsteiger won the World Cup with Germany last year (Getty Images)

Schweinsteiger was spotted at Wimbledon cheering on girlfriend Ana Ivanovic (Getty Images)

One player who is on the verge of joining United though is Italian right-back Matteo Darmian. The Torino defender underwent a medical in Manchester on Friday ahead of his £12.7m move to the Premier League, and he’s expected to be included in United’ pre-season squad for their tour of the United States on Monday as the club prepare to confirm the deal for the 25-year-old Italy international.