7 Potential Replacements for Bastian Schweinsteiger at Bayern Munich

Bastian Schweinsteiger has long been a hero at Bayern Munich. He is a local lad who grew up in the club's academy and chose to make a long-term commitment to his beloved hometown side in 2010, despite being in a position to take perhaps more lucrative offers.

Five years after penning a contract valid until just before his 32nd birthday, Schweinsteiger is again in a position to negotiate with Bayern. He has yet to reach a deal on an extension to his current contract, which expires in 2016, and it's highly questionable whether he'll even be offered a new deal.

Regardless of what happens in the short term, Bayern will have to consider how to replace Schweinsteiger when the time comes. To this end, B/R has come up with a list of possibilities, categorized as current Bayern youth, rising talents and current stars.

Click "Begin Slideshow" to see our picks.

The Bayern Youth

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The most affordable way for Bayern to replace Schweinstseiger would be to promote from within. And currently, the German giants are blessed with an abundance of options.

There's new signing Joshua Kimmich, who was arguably the best player for Germany at the U21 European Championship this summer and a stalwart of the under-19 side that won the Euros a year ago.

The 20-year-old is good on the ball but a primarily defensive player whose natural aggression and brilliant anticipation make him a monster of a ball-winner. Some players can sprint faster over five or 10 yards, but Kimmich's decisiveness and instincts seem to always have him the first to the ball.

A more natural replacement for Schweinsteiger would be Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who's long been a candidate for the first team. As he approaches his 20th birthday, the Dane may finally be ready to take on a regular role in the Bayern team.

He has a good, sturdy frame to win and shield the ball in midfield, but also great ability to pass over short and long ranges. He can shoot well and play in both deeper and more advanced midfield positions, as well as in a box-to-box role. That kind of versatility can fit well in Pep Guardiola's plans.

A third option would be Gianluca Gaudino, although the diminutive midfielder is quite far from being a like-for-like swap in terms of style and is much younger than his competitors.

Whereas Schweinsteiger during his prime was an engine in driving the ball from midfield to attack, Gaudino stylistically resembles Andrea Pirlo: a deep-playing regista who may lack physicality but makes up for it with metronomic passing. The 18-year-old could take Schweinsteiger's place in the lineup, but not likely in the coming months. And if he were to do so, it would require a different tactical approach.

Promoting a player already within the Bayern ranks is certainly an affordable option and, if Bayern's academy and capacity for youth development are to be valued, could produce the best long-term results.

The only concern is that the only (near-) guarantee with these players is that they will be better in two or three years than they are now. Hojbjerg's professional experience consists of a few games for Bayern and a half-year loan spell at Augsburg in which he played well but left without having nailed down a starting role. Kimmich has yet to play in the Bundesliga, and Gaudino is simply too young.

Bayern's youngsters may soon impress in the Bundesliga, but whether they'll be ready to compete in the latter stages of the Champions League in the next year or two remains a serious question.

If the German giants desire a reliable, ready-made option, they should look elsewhere. If they're willing to be patient, however, promoting from within could yield the biggest reward of all and at the lowest cost.

Europe's Next Star Midfielder

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If Bayern are in more of a hurry to replace Schweinsteiger with a star player, it may be best to look elsewhere for a new signing. Kimmich in a sense fits into this category, as his transfer was confirmed in January after spending the early stages of his career at Stuttgart and Leipzig. But he is a current player for Bayern and therefore wouldn't need to be signed.

Bayern could target a teenager from another club, like Anderlecht's Youri Tielemans. But even if such a player might be deemed to have more potential than their current youngsters, there would be little reason to spend money to bring in a player who won't be at his peak for a few more years, especially given that a foreign signing would likely have difficulty adapting.

A better option would be a player in his early 20s who has yet to truly hit the big stage for his club. Paul Pogba still has a lot of potential to tap, but he is far too high-profile. He'd cost a fortune in both transfer fee and wages, and Bayern would in all likelihood be outbid.

A more attainable example is the player who upstaged Kimmich on Saturday as his Portugal side hammered Germany's under-21s by a 5-0 margin: William Carvalho. At 23 years of age, the Sporting man is a burgeoning talent who looks to be ready for the challenge that awaits at a top club. He's an absolute tank in midfield, blessed with tremendous strength and good ball skills. He can be the engine that Schweinsteiger was in his prime, driving the ball through midfield and toward the front.

Geoffrey Kondogbia would have been another good option, but the Frenchman's recent move to Inter rules him out. With all things considered, it would seem that Carvalho would be the best bet among still-rising central midfielders.

Current Star Transfers

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If Guardiola doesn't plan to make Schweinsteiger a key part of his team next season, the best option for Bayern may be to sign a big-name star who is already proven at a high level. This would be a costly option, but it would be a safer bet if having an immediate replacement is a priority.

An obvious name that comes to mind is Marco Verratti, who is just the type of player who could thrive under Pep Guardiola.

Although rather small in stature, the Italy international is brilliant on the ball and could link well with Thiago while playing in a somewhat deeper role than the Spaniard. It would make for a small midfield combination, but with Javi Martinez as an anchor, that may not be so great a problem after all. It wasn't when Xavi and Andres Iniesta were anchored by Sergio Busquets at Guardiola's Barcelona, at least.

The only problem is, Verratti is under a long-term contract at Paris Saint-Germain and would likely cost a fortune.

Perhaps more affordable than Verratti and at least as good is Arturo Vidal, who almost joined the Munich giants in 2011. Per Goal, Leverkusen director Rudi Voller categorically refused to sell the midfielder to the Bavarian side, and Vidal instead went to Juventus. The Chilean was hugely important to Juve in their run to the Champions League final last season. He would have been a perfect fit in 2011, and to this day he remains exactly the kind of player who could thrive at Bayern.

Also in the hugely expensive category is Angel Di Maria. The Argentine could be a replacement for Franck Ribery on the wing, but he also has the potential to play in a central role.

He was brilliant in his final season at Real Madrid as a central attacking midfielder, with his quickness and energy making him a robust enough presence in the center of the park while his touch and dribbling ability were useful in linking from defense to attack.

He's very different in style from Schweinsteiger, but Di Maria, Thiago and Martinez would offer a diverse range of midfield qualities that could put Bayern back atop the European hierarchy.

A more affordable option would be Ilkay Gundogan, although rumors linking Bayern to the Dortmund man have died down substantially in recent weeks, and it looks like the Germany international has been forced to stay at BVB. Gundogan was absolutely world-class in 2012-13 but hasn't been since, and there are legitimate concerns as to whether he will ever reach such heights again.