COMMENT: When it comes to keeping their prized assets out of the grip of the Premier League, Bayern Munich are starting to feel Muller cornered.
Following the shock, and deeply controversial, departure of Bavarian poster-boy Bastian Schweinsteiger last summer – though the sale was, in fairness, hardly against Bayern's will – speculation now persists around various key cogs in their irresistible formula.
And, despite furious rebuttals to the contrary, there are growing fears that the club's charismatic forward Thomas Muller could follow his national team captain to Manchester United.
Louis Van Gaal, we know, tabled a £75million offer for Muller over the summer, something Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge dismissed as 'useless'.
He said, at the time: “We never even considered selling Thomas Muller. I told my colleagues at Manchester United: 'I cannot close down my email account, but you no longer need to send me anything."
Fighting talk, indeed.
But it is a stance that will only melt away in the face of the Premier League's frankly astonishing riches, with the £5.14billion domestic TV deal starting next summer.
While Bundesliga chiefs are working hard to keep pace with the English juggernaut – and themselves have secured lucrative contracts across the globe, including in the sought-after American market – they still remain some distance behind.
The truth is, United could comfortably afford to reply to Rummenigge's curt response saying 'How about we double it?' at the end of the season.
That would pose Bayern a real problem – surely one they cannot afford to reject.
And that would only be following the trend of the rest of the league, where key players have already been snaffled by money-rich Premier League sides.
This summer, Footballer of the Year Kevin De Bruyne was forced from Wolfsburg with a £55million offer from Manchester City.
Breakthrough Player of the season Roberto Firmino was poached by Liverpool with Hoffenheim helpless to resist £29million.
And Son Heung-Min, adored at Leverkusen, arrived at Tottenham when they tabled £22million.
Even Watford, Leicester and Stoke have gone shopping in Germany.
Unsurprisingly, the Bundesliga isn't thrilled about becoming a happy hunting ground for English sides, and Bayern are far from exempt.
As well as United's interest in Muller, coach Pep Guardiola will likely also depart the Allianz Arena for a Premier League post.
Manchester City expect to get him at the end of the season, though Chelsea will also make a play if and when they fire Mourinho, but Guardiola himself may be intent on lifting the Champions League with Bayern first, extending his contract year-by-year until he does.
Accepting this eventuality, Bayern have already drawn up a list of replacements – but their first choice, Jurgen Klopp, has already been snaffled by the Premier League.
And he has been linked with an audacious bid to bring Robert Lewandowski to Liverpool, an initially unthinkable transfer – until you realise that English clubs can pay 'unthinkable' sums.
Bayern, though, do have form for making decisions based on sporting rather than financial motives.
Ultimately, though, their hand may be forced by want-away stars unable to do the same – Muller would more than double his money at United, something he has, tellingly, publically admitted is “very tempting".
If it happens, that transfer will be seen as seminal – and Bayern's position amongst the elite re-evaluated – but, really, for German football as a whole, the writing was already on the wall this summer.
THRILLER FOR BAYER LEVERKUSEN
On a brighter note for the Bundesliga, I went to see one of the most entertaining sides in Europe on Saturday – Bayer Leverkusen, who notched four goals for the second game in succession.
Having been involved in a thrilling 4-4 draw with Roma in the Champions League last week, they again treated home fans to vast entertainment, seeing off Stuttgart 4-3.
Incredibly, it was goalless at half time, before the goal frenzy began – Leverkusen twice recovering from two goals down to succeed.
I was there to watch midfield man Hakan Calhanoglu, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal – yes, another Bundesliga star who could be poached – which I'll feedback on in a future column, Gunners fans.
