Manchester United Transfer News: Bastian Schweinsteiger Contract Offer Reported

Manchester United have reportedly offered Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger a bumper contract in an attempt to lure him to Old Trafford.

German newspaper Bild (h/t Jamie Sanderson in Metro) is reporting that the Red Devils have offered the German a £136,000-a-week deal.

United have been widely reported as being interested in signing Schweinsteiger over the last few weeks, and Sanderson suggests that Bayern may be willing to sell the 30-year-old for £10 million.

It is apparently all a matter of whether the player himself can be tempted away from the club he joined as a youth-team player in 1998.

His previous links with Red Devils boss Louis van Gaal—who managed Bayern between 2009 and 2011—could prove influential, as will the mooted contract, with United apparently open to offering a longer deal than the Bundesliga champions, per Bild (h/t German football writer Clark Whitney):

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently suggested Schweinsteiger was flattered by the interest from the Premier League, a potential boost for United, per BBC Sport: "I spoke to him on the phone while on holiday and we're going to meet again when he's back. I'm not going to hide that I discerned from these talks that he is flattered by the interest from England."

Van Gaal is looking to refashion his squad at Old Trafford as United return to the Champions League in the upcoming season, and they will also be aiming to challenge for the Premier League title once more.

A key area that needs strengthening is the deep-lying midfield role, where the Red Devils are currently over-reliant on the soon-to-be-34-year-old Michael Carrick.

Bleacher Report's Andy Brassell suggests that Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin would be a better long-term purchase for United in the role, as he is a true defensive midfielder and is only 25:

Schweinsteiger, though, would bring huge experience to Old Trafford, as well as a slightly more attacking mindset that has often been the United way.

Ideally, United would surely like to bring in both Schweinsteiger and Schneiderlin over the summer, and according to Samuel Luckhurst in the Manchester Evening News, they are nearing a deal for the Frenchman. 

Schweinsteiger's move seemingly hangs in the balance, though, with the player himself set to make the final decision on whether he wants to continue his storied career at Old Trafford or the Allianz Arena.