The Vancouver Whitecaps are closing in on a deal to sign former Bayern Munich and Germany star Thomas Müller, sources told ESPN on Tuesday

But to finalize a contract with the World Cup winner, the Whitecaps must first acquire Müller’s discovery rights — which give MLS clubs exclusivity to negotiate deals with players not already in the league — from FC Cincinnati.

Once a team puts a player on its discovery list, no other club in MLS can negotiate with that player. Cincinnati holds Müller’s discovery rights, but according to a source, the 35-year-old declined an offer to join the Eastern Conference team in April.

The Whitecaps are in the final stages of negotiating a trade to obtain the rights to Müller in exchange for up to $400,000 in general allocation money, sources confirmed, and Müller is reportedly ready to join Vancouver.

Müller’s move to MLS would come on the heels of playing 17 seasons for Bundesliga giants Bayern, where he managed 250 goals in 756 appearances across all competitions and helped the club win 12 league titles. He played his final tournament with the German team this summer, featuring in the Club World Cup in the U.S.

The Whitecaps recently reached the Concacaf Champions Cup final before falling to Liga MX club Cruz Azul.

The team also reached the 2024 MLS playoffs after finishing the regular season in eighth place and beating the Portland Timbers in the wild-card match to qualify before being eliminated by LAFC in the first round.