Earlier this week, it was reported that Chicago Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic met with German star Bastian Schweinsteiger for a four-hour lunch.
If recent reports are any indication, the meeting may have gone well.
According to ESPN.com’s Jeff Carlisle, who alluded to multiple sources, Schweinsteiger is in talks with the Fire to join the club. He also confirmed that Chicago holds the German’s discovery rights, which gives them first priority among MLS teams to sign him.
The Schweinsteiger-to-Chicago rumor first picked up steam in late August, when Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl reported that the Fire were interested in the Bayern Munich legend as he struggled to find playing time with Manchester United.
Things haven’t gotten much better for Schweinsteiger at Man U since, leading to more speculation that a move out of England was imminent.
Chicago are coming off a 7-17-10 season in which they finished in last place in the Eastern Conference for a second straight season, and missed the MLS Cup Playoffs for a fourth straight year.
Before his recent troubles with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United, Schweinsteiger won eight Bundesliga titles in 13 years with Bayern Munich, while scoring 24 goals in 121 international appearances with Germany and leading them to a 2014 World Cup title.
