Bayern reveal Manchester United bid £85m for forward Thomas Muller

Bayern Munich have reiterated that Manchester United made an £85m (€100m) bid for striker Thomas Muller during the summer transfer window. Vice-chairman Jan-Christian Dreesen has confirmed the offer was received but swiftly rejected without being ever considered.

The Old Trafford club made four signings during the summer, including striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on a free and Paul Pogba who re-joined the club from Juventus for a world record £89m. Jose Mourinho's side remain in three cup competitions this term and in the hunt to qualify for the Champions League via a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chief executive of the Bavarian giants, claimed last June that United had submitted a "mad" offer for Muller which at the time would have smashed the world transfer record. Those comments have now been substantiated by Dreesen, who says the offer was never debated with the Germany World Cup winner.

"There really was such a thing," he told Bild, when asked if the offer had ever been tabled. "Then came a fax from England. For us, however, a sale of Thomas Muller was never discussed. If a player fits us, we would be stupid to give him a short-term prospect of a record profit and to weaken him."

News of the offer comes after the player's agent Giovanni Branchini suggested United had spent most of the 2015 off season attempting to bring Muller to the Premier League "at any cost". The 27-year-old has since remained at the Allianz Arena, but has struggled for goals this season having netted just four times in 26 appearances.

Reports regarding United's interest in Muller intensified during the tenure of Louis van Gaal – a former Bayern manager – but those rumours were seemingly ended in December 2015 when he penned a new contract keeping him at the club until 2021. The former TSV Pahl youngster remains an integral part of the Bayern squad and will hope to add to his 15 major honours this term.