Bayern Munich icon Thomas Müller will not receive a contract extension when his deal ends in June and could retire, the Bild newspaper and Kicker magazine reported on Sunday, without naming their sources.
The reports said the 35-year-old had already been informed of the decision following a club meeting two weeks ago.
The Bundesliga leaders have been busy with a raft of new deals in recent weeks including for Manuel Neuer, Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich.
But one-club man Müller, who won the 2013 and 2020 Champions Leagues with the club alongside 12 Bundesliga titles, has been at the back of the queue having featured only sporadically for Bayern this term as either striker Harry Kane's or playmaker Musiala's deputy.
Müller, a 2010 World Cup winner, has already retired from the Germany national team.
He has been at the club since 2000 and played over 700 competitive games.
This season's Champions League final is in Munich on May 31 and the reports say bosses hope the club icon can go out on a high then.
He would not move to another Bundesliga club but a contract to work at Bayern in another function such as an assistant coach or club ambassador is viewed as possible by German media.
A move to a foreign club is unlikely but former Bayern star Lothar Matthäus believes Müller still has something to offer as a player.
"He should spend two years in the US, broaden his horizons. It will do him good for his development and could put him in a position to take on a role at Bayern afterwards," he told Bild.
"Thomas might be upset because there hasn’t been enough communication. Bayern must not miss the opportunity to maintain their relationship with Thomas in such a way that he’s willing to take on an important role at the club in the future."
Matthäus says he spies tensions at the club between honorary president Uli Hoeness and head of sport Max Eberl.
"It seems as though the chemistry isn’t quite right, as if things aren’t as harmonious in the leadership team as one would wish for in a club like Bayern," Germany's record appearance maker added.
