Football news - Expert view: The plan behind Manuel Neuer's extraordinary contract demands

Manuel Neuer knows what he wants. He knows his value to Bayern Munich and is determined not to rush his contract negotiations. And he knows that if he does not stay at Bayern Munich beyond the end of his current contract in 2021, he would easily find another club.

It is this knowledge that is informing his conversations with Bayern over an extension. He and his agent Thomas Kroth are acting from a position of strength. It is rumoured that Kroth is demanding a contract worth €20 million a season, lasting up to five years.

Bayern's bosses are reported to have reacted coldly to his demands and other clubs, including Juventus and Chelsea, are said to be monitoring the situation closely. The stall in talks will allow Neuer to sit back and relax, to wait and see how Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic react to the latest developments.

But there is also a second level to Neuer's contractual requests - the club have not progressed as they should have in recent years.

The first issue Neuer faces is the transfer of Alexander Nubel, who will follow in Neuer's footsteps from Schalke to the Allianz Arena on a free in the summer. Nubel possesses many of the same qualities as Neuer - he is one of the outstanding goalkeepers in the Bundesliga and he is a leader, having been given the Schalke captaincy at a young age.

Reports have stated that Nubel has been given assurances over playing time in Bavaria and Neuer is loathe to give up playing time to the 23-year-old, having stood against his transfer from the start. The demand of a five-year contract is a means of asking Bayern to guarantee his status. A new deal of such length, particularly with Neuer's reported wage demands, would prevent the club from building Nubel into his replacement.

In Oliver Kahn, Neuer may have someone sympathetic to his cause. Kahn played for Bayern until the age of 38 and recently explained that advancing years are no barrier to a goalkeeper performing at the top level. "In general, as I showed myself, [goalkeepers] can play until old age," he told Sport-BIld. "However, it is a big challenge to maintain a high level."

So, with Nubel's arrival imminent, Bayern are in a quandary if Neuer's career extends as long as that of Kahn's. Neither has he shown any signs of slowing down, conceding just 38 goals in 37 matches this term and keeping five clean sheets to boot.

And as club captain, his importance extends beyond the pitch. He is extremely popular among his team-mates and is enjoying growing recognition from the fans; for all this, the club has assured him that they want to keep him where he is. The 34-year-old wants all this to be rewarded in a huge contract. The Bundesliga may have been suspended but Bayern are hard at work with regards to contracts, with Thomas Muller and Hansi Flick both signing on recently, while David Alaba, Thiago Alcantara, Javi Martinez and Sven Ulreich all currently on deals set to expire in 2021. The negotiation team has plenty of work ahead.

Club legend Lothar Matthaus, himself no stranger to playing well beyond an ordinary player's prime, is expecting Neuer to be accommodating in the difficult negotiations.

Neuer should, he wrote in his column for Sky, "remember in these times especially that gratitude and appreciation are not one-way streets."

It can be assumed that Neuer will keep this in mind, but it remains to be seen if the club feel the same way.