Thomas Muller’s contract at Bayern Munich comes to a close at the end of this season with the Bavarian giants opting not to offer a extension to their club legend.
Over the last few months, both parties have sat down to discuss a potential contract renewal on multiple occasions. However, despite willingness on on the two sides to extend their link, they have been unable to reach a middle ground.
Therefore, the club has decided not to offer a fresh deal to the 35-year-old despite his iconic status at the Allianz Arena.
The decision means a club legend will step now away after 17 trophy-filled years in Munich.
Alongside a whopping 12 Bundesliga titles, Muller has also won two UEFA Champions League crowns, and a FIFA World Cup with Germany.
He opted to step away from national team duty after UEFA Euro 2024 with 45 goals in 131 appearances for Die Mannschaft.
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Despite club’s position being rooted in financial solidity, it has led to a massive outrage on social media from furious Bayern fans, who are visibly unhappy with the decision.
Bayern have made it clear to Thomas Müller and his management that they do not intend to offer him a new contract. Max Eberl originally wanted to let Müller decide on his own future – but the club’s bosses deviated from that after internal discussions. Internally, the word is:… pic.twitter.com/bav8WMhmr7
— Bayern & Germany (@iMiaSanMia) March 31, 2025
“It hurts, I can’t lie even if I understand the logic behind the decision,” a fan tweeted.
“Ridiculous,” another fan wrote.
“I need our ultras to come up with some sort of protest in the upcoming games. This is unacceptable,” a passionate user expressed.
“He should retire and join our coaching team. I can’t see him in any other jersey,” another fan reacted.
‘Sad to see a club legend like Muller go man,” a netizen tweeted.
BILD slams Bayern’s treatment of Thomas Muller
Recently, German newspaper BILD labelled Bayern’s handling of the Muller fiasco as ‘downright undignified’.
BILD journalist Alfred Draxler led the fan annoyance over the issue. “He’s never played for another club; his first Bundesliga game was for Bayern in 2008. And towards the end of his career, no one has been as popular and respected by the fans and the public as he is,” said Draxler.
“Against this background, the haggling and wrangling we are currently experiencing is downright undignified,” he added.
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Bayern unhappy with Muller’s massive salary
Under Vincent Kompany, Muller has been reduced to a bench role, acting more as a squad mentor, managing the dressing room and throwing an arm around a youngster to calm their nerves.
While the Bayern leadership understand Muller’s fitness, enthusiasm, and experience is vital to maintain their team morale. They believe there is a massive disparity between pay and performance.
Muller earns an annual salary of €17m [$18.6m], and that is where the management wants to cut down. With the 35-year-old reduced to brief cameos and rotation roles, Bayern feel they cannot offer him a similar salary going forward.
Therefore they have delayed and overlooked addressing the issue, which has led to him preparing to leave the club.
What’s next for Thomas Muller?
The former German international is reportedly not looking to put an end to his illustrious career. After 17 years at Bayern Munich, the forward has been linked with several Major League Soccer clubs, and it remains to be seen if he dons another jersey apart from Bayern’s colours next season.
An additional report from BILD suggests FC Cincinnati and San Diego FC are the sides showing interest in the 35-year-old. While Muller may also join Bayern’s partner US club Los Angeles FC.
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