Jose Mourinho hints Bastian Schweinsteiger wouldn't come cheap for Chicago Fire
Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger has been linked with a possible move to the Chicago Fire, but the MLS club may need to sweeten its deal to land the German.
Jose Mourinho said Man U have not yet received any offers good enough to part with the players rumored to be on the move, such as Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin or Memphis Depay.
"I don't want to sell players. The club and the board is totally with me," Mourinho said on Friday. “But as I’ve said, if a player is not having lots of minutes and really wants to leave, we have no right to stop him leaving if the conditions are our conditions.
"But we have not received one single offer that we are going to accept.”
That means that the Fire’s reported $16.5 million offer to sign Schweinsteiger for three years may not be good enough. Or, it might just mean Mourinho is talking tough to get better offers for his players when the January transfer window opens. There haven't been any reports of what the Fire are targeting for a transfer fee on top of the $16.5 million contract, but either way, the Fire might have some work to do if they want to lure the German away before his contract with Manchester ends in June 2018.
Schweinsteiger had been caught in November meeting with Fire coach Veljko Paunovic in Manchester before reports of a $16.5 million offer came out, $5.5 million annually for three years. It may be a case of where there’s smoke there’s fire — or, Chicago Fire, as it were — but not if Manchester United will refuse to sell. Mourinho & Co. already rejected a bid from West Bromwich Albion to land Schneiderlin for a reported £18 million.
But all these players — Schweinsteiger, Schneiderlin and Depay — have been on only the fringes with Manchester United and if they want regular playing time and a starting spot, a move is in order. For Schweinsteiger in particular, a move to the Fire would give him a chance to fill a big need and become a marquee player at a club.
For the Fire, whether they land Schweinsteiger or not, they have a lot of work to do in this offseason after coming in last the past two seasons.
MORE FROM FOX SOCCER:
