Bayern Munich Chairman Says Toni Kroos Will Not leave Despite Rumours Linking him to Manchester
By Oladunjoye Opeyemi
Bayern Munich chairman, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, has said that there is no chance of Toni Kroos leaving the club in the summer, ending any hopes Manchester United and David Moyes had of signing the player this year.
“Toni Kroos is sure to play in a Bayern Munich shirt next year as well,” Rummenigge told reporters before flying to Manchester on Monday morning.
The 24-year-old midfielder has yet to extend his contract, which runs out in the summer of 2015, but United had looked into the possibility of signing the player this summer to continue a rebuilding of the squad that started with Juan Mata’s arrival from Chelsea for £37.1m in January.
Kroos had hinted this year that he would be keen to play in the Premier League, saying: “It is no secret that the Premier League is a possibility for me. But no one has come to any agreement with me and it will stay like this until the summer and, some time, a decision will be made. It is also no secret that the Premier League is not a bad league.”
Franz Beckenbauer, the honorary president at Bayern, had in February, warned Kroos that he is not indispensible when the player was advocating for higher wages, saying: “You have to make a decision as a club when someone’s demands are going through the roof.
“There is not a single player who’s worth changing your entire wage structure for. Nobody’s indispensable. If the player wants to stay at Bayern, I can only advise him not to overplay his hand.”
The German champions will take on Manchester United in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Tuesday night in England with the return leg on April 9.