Malik Tillman joins Bayer Leverkusen for a club-record transfer fee

Leverkusen, July 12 (IANS) Bayer 04 Leverkusen have announced the signing of USA international Malik Tillman from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven in a deal reportedly worth 35 million Euros, a club record fee. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder has signed a contract running until June 30, 2030, as he returns to Germany to bolster the Bundesliga champions' squad.

Born in Nuremberg and of German descent, Tillman enjoyed a prolific 2023-24 season at PSV, scoring 16 goals and providing five assists in 34 appearances across all competitions.

His contributions included three goals and two assists in the UEFA Champions League, underlining his impact at the highest level.

Tillman expressed his ambitions at the unveiling, “This club has always played great football. But in the last four or five years, Leverkusen have grown enormously and become attractive to a lot of players throughout Europe. I want to win something. That was my aim in Glasgow and Eindhoven, and it remains my aim here.”

Tillman’s move marks a return to German football, having previously come through Bayern Munich’s youth ranks after an early stint at Greuther Fürth. He enjoyed loan spells at Rangers and PSV before signing permanently with the Dutch side in 2024.

A former German youth international, Tillman switched allegiance to the USA in 2022 and has since impressed, notably during the 2023 Gold Cup, where the US finished runners-up to Mexico.

Leverkusen's managing director for sport, Simon Rolfes, hailed the new arrival: “In Malik Tillman, we have gained another player who has great ability and is very dangerous in front of the goal. He can play in midfield either as a number 10 or as a number 8. Malik is an absolute top signing for us. His style suits Bayer 04 Leverkusen down to the ground.”

--IANS

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