'Downright undignified!' - Bayern Munich's 'haggling and wrangling' over Thomas Muller's new contract slammed by German newspaper Bild - with club legend facing potential summer exit

Thomas Muller is in the final few months of his contract at Bayern Munich, but the club has not yet tied down their legend with a new contract. Talks over a renewal have reportedly reached an impasse, with German newspaper BILD now providing scathing criticism of Die Roten's handling of the situation.

Muller’s annual salary of up to €17 million is increasingly seen as disproportionate to his current performance. While financial matters are reportedly significant to him, it's become clear over the past few months that the 2014 World Cup winner’s role at the Allianz Arena has been reduced to brief cameos. The club has either overlooked or delayed addressing the issue, failing to reach a timely and clear resolution regarding his future, including a potential retirement plan.

BILD journalist Alfred Draxler let his thoughts be known on the contract fiasco involving Bayern and Muller. "He never played for another club; his first Bundesliga game was for Bayern in 2008. And towards the end of his career, no one had ever been as popular and respected by the fans and the public as he was," said Draxler.

"Against this background, the haggling and wrangling we are currently experiencing is downright undignified."

With Muller's future seemingly away from Bavaria next season, it has been reported that Bayern's record appearance maker would be tempted by a move to Major League Soccer (MLS).

Although the 35-year-old has featured in 35 games in all competitions, he has been on the pitch for just 1,260 minutes in total. In Bayern's previous game against St. Pauli, he came off the bench and played for just five minutes. It can be expected that he'll play a similar role off the bench in their next game on Friday, April 4, against Augsburg.