Manchester United have been dealt a knockout blow in their long winded pursuit of Thomas Muller. The news comes after Bayern Munich openly dismissed any talk of a move for their star player, telling Manchester United that they will never let Muller move to Old Trafford.

The German forward has been linked with United for years and was apparently subject to a £100m bid from the Red’s, which was turned down by the Bavarian club. However, it seemed as if the right amount of money would merit Munich to sell their biggest asset – but a member of the board has come out to quash any rumour of a possible transfer.

Edmund Stoiber told German news outlet Bild: “No one on the Supervisory Board would vote to sell. It should not happen that Thomas Muller plays at Manchester United.”

“Muller is more than just an excellent footballer. A player like him is part of our DNA. He plays an important role at the club. Muller not only creates emotions with his goals, he talks to the fans hearts. When Bastian Schweinsteiger went to Manchester United, the fans were not happy.”

“He’s 32 years old and wanted to experience something new. The members and fans, however, would never forgive us if we sell Thomas Muller. No matter how much money.”

[Quotes sourced via MEN]

It is a great shame that Muller won’t be wearing United’s colours anytime soon, but it is exciting to know that the club are in the market for players of his quality.

Who do you think United should look to sign instead of Muller? Leave your comments below.