‘They were very interested’ – Bayern Munich star reveals why he snubbed Arsenal transfer | Football

Manuel Neuer says Arsenal were ‘very interested’ in signing him when he was a youngster – but he decided to snub a proposed move in order to continue his development with Schalke.

Tipped for future stardom from a young age, Neuer rose through the academy ranks with Schalke and made his first-team breakthrough for his boyhood team in the 2006/07 season.

An injury to regular number one, Frank Rost, cleared a pathway for Neuer and the goalkeeper took the opportunity with both hands, keeping hold of the gloves at Schalke for the following four seasons.

Soon enough, Bayern Munich came calling and the Bundesliga giants got their man for a fee in the region of €18million (£15.7m) in 2011, despite some initial hostility towards the move amongst the fanbase.

Neuer has gone on to cement his place as one of the most highly regarded goalkeepers in the history of the game in the intervening years, accumulating 34 pieces of silverware – including the 2014 World Cup – over the course of an illustrious career for both club and country.

And though he retired from international duty after Euro 2024, Neuer is on course to add to his trophy collection with Bayern this season – and he has hinted he could continue playing beyond his 40th birthday.

In a wide-ranging interview with the At Broski – Die Sport Show, Neuer reflected on just how differently his career might have panned out had he followed a separate path in the early stages of his career.

‘After the Under-19s, FC Koln were very interested in me – and so were Arsenal,’ the two-time Champions League winner explained.

‘At the time, Arsene Wenger was still the coach and spoke many languages.

‘But I didn’t want to go abroad because I knew how difficult it is as a young goalkeeper.’

Neuer put pen to paper on a new contract with Bayern back in February, tying him to the German champions to June 2026.

In an interview with the Bundesliga’s official website earlier this month, the veteran shot-stopper refused to rule out the possibility that he could extend his stay again in due course.

‘I’m not setting myself any targets. As I said, I live in the here and now and I’m not thinking too much about it,’ he said.

‘I want to finish off this part of the season positively and then we’ll go again in January and try to have a good start. We’ll play up until March until the first international break and then we’ll take it from there.’

Neuer added: ‘I can’t really answer that [if he plans to agree to another renewal] at the moment because I don’t really know that myself. A lot of things have to be right.

‘My body has to be at a certain level that I am happy with and where I can deliver performances.

‘Of course, the club plays a role in this decision too, so we will have to sit together and make a decision at some point.’

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