Bastian Schweinsteiger is still a Manchester United player, but mainly in name, and wages of course. The German football legend is persona non grata for Jose Mourinho, and has been given every hint possible that his time at Old Trafford is over.
Germany’s SportBild report that Manchester United are ready to ‘dump’ Schweinsteiger for a transfer fee of just €2.5m. When the club bought the midfielder from Bayern Munich last summer they paid several times that, and it was still seen as a good deal.
The reason for the bargain transfer fee is Schweinsteiger’s very high wages, meaning not many clubs can seriously afford to be in the hunt. Inter Milan and AC Milan have both been linked, with SportBild bringing MLS in as a possible future destination.
Juventus have had 32 year old Schweinsteiger stories over the past few days themselves, and the Turin club know a thing or two about signing players who others feel are past their best.
Patrice Evra has enjoyed an excellent period with Juve, having joined from Manchester United aged 33. In 2011 a 32 year old Andrea Pirlo was released by AC Milan and arguably went on to play the best football of his career in Turin.
If Schweinsteiger can’t find a club this summer then it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to wait until January, the break from playing regular football may in turn help him perform better when he does return.
