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Thomas Müller rumours heating up with Vancouver Whitecaps the overwhelming favourite to get him

Rob Williams
Rob Williams
|
Jul 28 2025, 7:13 pm
Thomas Müller rumours heating up with Vancouver Whitecaps the overwhelming favourite to get him
Kai Pfaffenbach-Reuters via Imagn Images

Has the time finally come for Vancouver Whitecaps FC to land a global soccer star?

We’ve seen big names come to Major League Soccer in the past. Lionel Messi, David Beckham, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Wayne Rooney, Thierry Henry, and others have played for MLS clubs. None of them chose Vancouver.

But this feels different.

Rumours are ablaze surrounding Thomas Müller and the Vancouver Whitecaps right now, with reports coming from multiple soccer insiders in Europe and North America. The 35-year-old striker, who has played his entire club career with Bayern Munich, has scored 150 goals in 503 career Bundesliga matches.

A fixture on the German national team for more than a decade, Müller was his country’s top goal-scorer when Germany won the FIFA World Cup in 2014.

Müller has indicated that he’s coming to Major League Soccer and has reportedly spoken to countryman Bastian Schweinsteiger about the move. Schweinsteiger played three years in MLS with the Chicago Fire, making the move from Manchester United in 2017.

FC Cincinnati holds Müller’s MLS discovery rights, and LAFC was reportedly in hot pursuit of the German star. But it sounds like Müller wants to come to Vancouver.

Soccer insiders Tom Bogert and Ben Jacobs have reported that the Whitecaps are in talks with Müller. They add that Vancouver is negotiating with FC Cincinnati about acquiring his discovery rights.

Transfermarkt now lists the probability of a transfer to Vancouver at 75%.

Reports out of Germany have echoed those thoughts.

“In addition to Los Angeles FC, another MLS club was in the running for Müller. Now it’s clear: LA is out of the running. Negotiations with Vancouver are only focusing on final details. The target is a contract until the end of 2026,” reads a story in the German newspaper BILD, translated into English.

It sounds like MLS is attempting to facilitate a move.

“MLS has intervened as a mediator to ensure that Müller’s transfer does not fail due to transfer demands from a club in its own league association,” German soccer insider Christian Falk reportedly told CFBayern.

So, why Vancouver?

That part is unclear, though there is a German connection with Whitecaps CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster. Schuster came to Vancouver in 2019 after over two decades working in Germany with Bundesliga clubs.

Or perhaps Müller’s Bayern Munich teammate Alphonso Davies had nice things to say about Vancouver?

Whatever the case, getting Müller in a Whitecaps uniform would draw significant attention to the club, at the very least. While his best days are behind him, most would expect Müller to play a starring role in MLS.

The rumours come at a pivotal time for the Whitecaps, who are attempting to find a new owner. They’re also trying to clear the way for a new soccer-specific stadium to be built, perhaps at the PNE. They’re also in negotiations with PavCo about a new lease agreement for BC Place.

All this comes as the Whitecaps are enjoying their most successful season since joining the MLS in 2011. Vancouver currently sits second in the MLS Western Conference, just one point behind conference-leading San Diego.

The Whitecaps have never made a serious run in the MLS Cup Playoffs, but are hoping to change that this year.

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