13 Jul 2015

Schweinsteiger joins United

11:45 am on 13 July 2015

Manchester United have bolstered their midfield with the addition of Germany's World Cup winner Bastian Schweinsteiger from Bayern Munich.

Bastian Schweinsteiger

Bastian Schweinsteiger Photo: PHOTOSPORT

United confirmed they had reached an agreement to sign the 30-year-old midfielder, subject to a medical and personal terms.

A World Cup winner with Germany in Brazil last year, Schweinsteiger came through the youth ranks at Bayern and has spent 13 seasons with the Bavarians, winning the Bundesliga title eight times.

During a glittering career, Schweinsteiger, who made 536 appearances for the club since his debut in 2002, also won seven German Cups and the Champions League in 2013.

The German captain has been a mainstay in their midfield since his international debut in 2004, scoring 23 goals in 111 appearances, and is their fifth-highest capped player.

"(Schweinsteiger) is an absolute leader and world-class player, who can make his mark on any team," according to Germany coach Joachim Low.

Schweinsteiger's arrival is a statement of intent by United, who are bidding to re-establish themselves after seventh- and fourth-place finishes in their previous two league campaigns.

The 20-times English champions have spent heavily during the last close-season bringing in the likes of Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, on loan, and Luke Shaw, but were still overly reliant on 33-year-old midfield lynchpin Michael Carrick.

Schweinsteiger will be the first German to play for United and their second signing of the close-season following the arrival of Netherlands winger Memphis Depay from PSV Eindhoven for a fee of about 30 million euros.

United manager Louis van Gaal confirmed on Friday that Italian defender Matteo Darmian will have a medical at the club ahead of a proposed transfer from Serie A side Torino.