Muller ignoring gossip, insists he's staying at Bayern Munich
Thomas Muller insists that he wants to stay at Bayern Munich, dismissing gossip linking him to a move to Manchester United this summer.
Along with fellow Bavarian star Bastian Schweinsteiger, Muller has been linked with swapping the Allianz Arena for Old Trafford to link up with former coach Louis van Gaal.
Though he sees attention from other top clubs as a compliment, the Germany international is adamant that he has no intention of bailing on a Bayern contract which has another four years to run.
"When a transfer request comes in, you automatically deal with it," Muller told Bild. "A request from another big club is an honour and a telling reward that one's performances are good.
"But I feel good at Bayern and my deal runs until 2019. It's better to ignore speculation."
Muller has been at Bayern since 2000, breaking through the youth ranks into the senior setup in 2008, and has won four league titles, three DFB-Pokal trophies and one Champions League in the past seven years.
But the 25-year-old thinks that modern football can often work against young players as clubs craving immediate results will turn to players on whom they have recently splashed cash, ignoring their academy recruits.
"Who plays on the pitch for Bayern is ultimately decided by who is best for the team," he added. "However, getting recognition internally at a top club can perhaps be more difficult for a youth player.
"When you're bought by a club, your performances become their responsibility as they've paid a lot of money for a transfer so they want to have faith in you.
"On the other hand, if you're already at a club, the club can often just assume you'll stay there. I don't find it hard to prove myself every season but maybe that's because my position is so flexible.
"But very good, new players are brought in every season by Bayern and the race for a starting position starts again from the beginning."
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