Could Schweinsteiger leave Bayern?

FC Bayern Munich coach Louis van Gaal is worried that further strong performances from German international midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger could draw even more interest from Europe's biggest clubs. If the Germans can keep their star midfielder will have to be seen as Schweinsteiger's contract ends in June 2012 and he has not extended it so far. And if Bayern want to cash in on him then they would have to sell him in January or latest in the summer 2011, but it is known that the Germans would like to extend the contract further.

Bayern sports director Christian Nerlinger said, "Bastian is a key figure and not for sale. We'd prefer to keep him for the rest of his career."

In recent weeks Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has shown renewed interest to bring Schweinsteiger to Old Trafford, while other clubs like Manchester City, FC Chelsea, Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Internationale Milan are also said to be interested. And if Schweinsteiger does not renew his contract then the possible transfer fee is also set to go down.

Van Gaal believes that if Schweinsteiger plans any move to Spain, then Real Madrid could be a more interesting destination then Barcelona. Why so? The Barca midfield is well set with Iniesta and Xavi, but at Real Madrid Schweinsteiger could play together with Sami Khedira and Mesut Oezil as in the German national team plus coach Jose Mourinho is said to be a big fan of Schweinsteiger.

Schweinsteiger's rise as a midfield strategist is closely linked with the arrival of Dutchman Louis van Gaal as coach at Bayern Munich. Before van Gaal Schweinsteiger was used more often on the wings and was often termed as talented, but not someone who can perform regularly. This has changed and Schweinsteiger seems to have grown up over the last season and has turned from the young Schweini to Mr. Schweinsteiger. And that has not gone unnoticed across Europe as his value has gone up to 35 Million Euros.

And Schweinsteiger proved on Tuesday how important he is for Bayern Munich. Two goals from Schweinsteiger earned Bayern Munich a 2-1 win against Werder Bremen in the German Cup. And the second goal, a long range effort, showed what a fine footballer Schweinsteiger is.