Bayern Munich Should Push a Gotze-Di Maria Swap with Manchester United

As the summer transfer window presses into its second week, rumors surround Bayern Munich as Pep Guardiola and company plan their squad for the upcoming season. The Bundesliga champions recently signed Douglas Costa, but as explained in this article, they are still likely to pursue Angel Di Maria.

Manchester United appear ready to play hardball, however, and according to Bild reporter Christian Falk, they offered a €160 million transfer fee-plus-wage package for Thomas Muller. According to Falk, Bayern categorically rejected the possibility of selling Muller, but Bastian Schweinsteiger may be a negotiating chip for Di Maria.

Even so, a cash-plus-player swap would require an enormous transfer fee to United, with Schweinsteiger's value having dropped substantially as of late as he approaches his 31st birthday. There would be no way for United to spin that they got the better end of the deal in terms of the players transferred, and Ed Woodward's record signing of Di Maria would be regarded as a failure with the Argentine having come and gone in just one year. For Woodward, it's a politically unacceptable move, much like selling Muller would be for Bayern.

If Bayern are to sign Di Maria, there still is a viable solution to overcome the political barriers that currently stand in the way: to use not only Schweinsteiger, but Mario Gotze as leverage to sweeten the pot for United. Sport Bild (h/t ESPN) reported that a Gotze/Di Maria swap has been discussed, and there is reason to believe it would be a desirable end for all parties involved.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Whereas Muller is Bayern through and through, a local lad who came through the academy system and whose heroics in high-stakes situations have made him a fan favorite, Gotze enjoys far less support among the German giants' fanbase. He often appears lethargic, or at best confused on the pitch, and thus far has done little to justify his transfer from Dortmund in 2013.

Gotze has fallen out of favor with Guardiola, the player's use only as a late substitute in the Champions League semifinal (despite Bayern being without Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, and desperate for goals) underlining how low his stock currently is in the Spaniard's eyes.

Although fans would be disappointed by his having failed to fulfill his potential at the Allianz Arena, Gotze wouldn't be sorely missed, which perhaps is why his agent, Volker Struth, appears to be posturing for a move for his client.

"Guardiola has destroyed Gotze. He feels like the coach doesn't have faith in him and yet still he is asked to be decisive when he gets on the pitch," he told Bild (h/t Goal).

Following Struth's complaint, United were immediately reported to be keen on Gotze, with the Daily Star publishing a follow-up story to a December report that Louis van Gaal was keen on the 23-year-old. Gotze to United has long been a topic in the English press, and whether the interest is genuine or not, if Bayern were to pull off a deal in sending him and Schweinsteiger to Manchester in exchange for Di Maria, it would make sense on all ends.

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

From United's perspective, they will have signed two World Cup winners: more specifically, the scorer of the decisive goal in the final and the now-captain of the reigning champions. Although Gotze's failure to impress at Bayern has harmed his stock, he still is a very young player with plenty of upside and has shown his class on the biggest stage of all.

In a sense, the narrative of his career in the last 26 months isn't very different from that of Di Maria's in the last 14. And Gotze could play either on the right wing (as he did during much of his time at Dortmund) or in the center, but in either case as a creator, just as Di Maria is at United.

From Bayern's perspective, they offload a central midfielder they don't quite need at this point, as well as the playmaker who simply hasn't lived up to his billing. In exchange, they get the man they need to propel them back to the top of Europe.

Petr David Josek/Associated Press

Wages are a big concern from Bayern's end, with Di Maria earning a salary that would completely burst their wage structure. There are ways around this, however.

According to SportBild (in German), Gotze earns €12 million per year. Removing his salary and taking on Di Maria's would leave a small gap to make up. If United were to cover this and Bayern were to give Di Maria the same wage as Gotze earns now, it wouldn't tear open Bayern's wage structure. And it would be possible for Bayern to accomplish this by paying United a small "transfer fee" as an add-on in exchange for United covering part of Di Maria's salary.

Exactly how much of the money paid by Bayern to United will be for Di Maria himself and how much will be for his wages can become cloudy, as all three players involved in the transfer lack explicit price tags.

It's all a matter of posturing, but that can be important: Bayern used a similar tactic in justifying the €40 million transfer fee paid to Javi Martinez by claiming the player took a lesser wage to make up for the "excess" Bayern paid Bilbao. There was no exact salary that could be expected for Martinez, and for example, claiming he took €1 million less per year would "save" Bayern €5 million over his five-year contract, "lowering" his transfer fee to a more palatable €35 million. 

Whether Bayern and United will ultimately come to an agreement is still far from certain. But where there's a will, there's a way. Bayern seem intent on signing Di Maria, they just need to figure out a way to make it happen.

It's evident, though, that they have the right cards; now it's just a matter of arranging them into a presentable package for all parties.

@Mr_Bundesliga