• No bid has been lodged but fee would be around £56m • World Cup-winning forward could double his salary with move

Thomas Müller is open to a move to Manchester United although Bayern Munich are insistent the forward is not for sale. United are aware of Bayern’s resistance though they have not given up hope of prising him away for a fee in the region of €80m (£55.7m).

Müller is flattered by Louis van Gaal’s interest but the World Cup winner knows Bayern’s position. While it is understood no bid has been made for the 25-year-old the proposed salary for Müller would be €20m a year (£13.7m). This is around £265,000 a week, around double what he earns at the German champions from the five-year contract signed last summer. As a forward who can play across the front line Müller would fit into Van Gaal’s proposed 4-3-3 formation for next season.

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Although Müller is one of Bayern’s elite players and a favourite of the fans Pep Guardiola is less sure of his worth.

The relationship between the two men is uneven. Recently, there was a training ground dispute and last season Guardiola dropped Müller, which resulted in the coach being whistled by Bayern supporters.

This has caused the shift in Müller’s view of a transfer to United from 12 months ago when he was not interested.

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Last week United bought Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern, one of the club’s leading players. This means it would be difficult for Bayern to allow the sale of another. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the chief executive, promised supporters the 30-year-old midfielder would be the only Bayern player sold to United in this transfer window.

United have bought four players since the season ended. Memphis Depay cost up to £25m, Morgan Schneiderlin £27m, Matteo Darmian £12.7m and Schweinsteiger around £15m for a total spend of £79.7m.

Speaking towards the end of last week Rummenigge recognised the spending power of United and the rest of the Premier League and voiced concern that German clubs’ finest players could be stripped from them.

“The Bundesliga has to finally act,” he told Bild. “The English are overtaking us left, right and centre. When taking into account transfer market activity, in marketing terms, in TV money – anywhere, really. The Bundesliga has to be careful not to fall further behind, I think. Anyone who follows the transfer market at the moment, within which English clubs work, knows their clubs are being fully upgraded. The Bundesliga has to be careful that we’re not emptied out.”