ESPN FC: Manchester United Have Ended Pursuit of Kroos Transfer

Manchester United's quest for Toni Kroos appears to be coming to an end.

According to ESPN FC, new manager Louis van Gaal will not pursue the 24-year-old midfielder, despite reports earlier this week that Manchester United were close to signing him. Kroos was a reported target for David Moyes, who Manchester United sacked in April.

The report may come as good news for Bayern München, but president Karl Hopfner has revealed no advancements in a Kroos contract extension.

"There are surely more talks, but at some point the player has to say what he wants," Hopfner told kicker. "We will not exceed certain financial boundaries."

Hopfner likened Kroos's contract situation to Michael Ballack's, who eventually left on a free transfer to Chelsea in the summer of 2006.

"It was the same with Michael Ballack, and we eventually withdrew our offer," said Hopfner.

In an interview with the club website, Bayern CEO Karl Heinz Rummenigge reiterated his desire to extend Kroos. Rummenigge has already fascilitated contract extensions for David Alaba, Jerome Boateng, Dante, Manuel Neuer, Rafinha, and Arjen Robben.

"As I’ve always said, our aim is to agree a contract extension, and that still applies," said Rummenigge. "If we can’t, we’ll have to think about other options."

Come July, Kroos will be the only player in Bayern's top squad not signed beyond 2015. The last midfielder Bayern sold to an English team was Owen Hargreaves, so if Manchester United are in fact out of the running, the probability Kroos will be sold will go down drastically.