- Toni Kroos involved in contract stand-off with Bayern Munich
- Bayern digging in their heels over Kroos' wage demands
- Midfielder dropped to the bench for win over Eintracht Frankfurt
- Premier League giants in position to sign Kroos at end of the season
- Manchester United, City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea will meet demands
- Reports Bayern are lining up Julian Draxler and Kroos's replacement
- 'Kroos can be replaced' says former Germany midfielder Gunter Netze
The extent of Toni Kroos’ contract stand-off with Bayern Munich has placed all the Barclays Premier League’s top clubs on standby for a £25million summer scramble to sign him.
Bayern bosses are digging in their heels over Kroos’ bold bid to more than double his earnings from just over £60,000 a week to around £150,000 and have bluntly told him talks over a new deal will remain on hold until he lowers his sights.
The 24-year-old Germany midfielder was even relegated to the bench for the first time in two months on Sunday, in a further escalation of his Allianz Arena woes that has alerted all the Premier League big guns.
VIDEO: Scroll down to watch Kroos and his Bayern team-mates in adidas photoshoot
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Toni the target: Premier League clubs are very interested in Bayern midfielder Toni Kroos (right)
Sportsmail revealed just over a week ago how Manchester United manager David Moyes had been first to react to growing uncertainty over Kroos’ future by watching Bayern’s game at Borussia Monchengladbach with the 24-year old’s agent.
Should there still be no thaw in relations at the end of the season, it seems certain Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal and even Liverpool will declare their hand and make it clear to Kroos they are prepared to meet his wage demands.
In an intriguing sub-plot, there have even been claims in Germany that Arsenal missed out on prime target Julian Draxler because Bayern have lined him up as Kroos’ replacement in the summer.
Former Middlesbrough and Barnsley striker Jan Aage Fjortoft, who works as a TV pundit in Norway and Germany, tweeted: ‘Bayern Munich managed to stop the Draxler deal by saying “we take him in the summer.”’
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Sub standard? Kroos was dropped to the bench for Bayern's match on Sunday
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Reacting badly: Kroos was not happy at being taken off recently against Stuttgart
Fjortoft’s claim is as yet unsubstantiated, but what is beyond doubt is that Bayern will not be dictated to over extending a contract that has less than 18 months to run.
Kroos is currently in the middle band of earners, whose pay ranges from £50,000 to £80,000 a week, but feels he should be elevated to the elite section, where the likes of Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribery pocket around £150,000.
Bayern are about to add Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski to the top earners but are determined to maintain the balance of their pay scale on current lines and are adamant Kroos cannot move up.
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Bayern buy? Munich have reportedly lined up Schalke's Julian Draxler (centre) to replace Kroos
Their hardline stance has received influential backing from former Germany midfielder Gunter Netzer, who reinforced the view that Kroos will have to climb down or possibly consider a fresh start in the Premier League next season.
‘I would advise Toni Kroos not to overplay his hand,’ he said. ‘There are a few players who cannot be replaced, but he is not one of them. He is playing a risky game at Bayern. The club are determined not to pay huge wages to all their players, in order to stay healthy financially.
‘This could become a situation where Kroos forces Bayern to set an example. He might be overrating himself a bit with his wage demands, in that they might not reflect his worth to the team. He would be wise to have a good look at the squad and rethink his situation.’
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Watching brief: David Moyes (centre) was at Borussia Monchengladbach vs Bayern Munich to see Kroos first hand
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Interested: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho (top left), Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers (top left), Arsenal's Arsene Wenger (bottom left) and Manchester City chief Manuel Pellegrini are all monitoring Kroos' situation
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The prospects of a compromise with Bayern have hardly been helped by signs of petulance on the pitch. Kroos threw his gloves to the floor in anger after being substituted at Stuttgart last week and promptly found himself demoted to the bench for Sunday’s crushing win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
It is being viewed as evidence that manager Pep Guardiola, like his boardroom bosses, will take no nonsense from a player who has been an integral part of Bayern’s recent dominance but is now embroiled in a dangerous game of brinkmanship over his future.
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