Fulham’s hopes of signing Malik Tillman from Bayer Leverkusen this summer may have been handed a boost, as he considers his time at the German side to be over.
Sport BILD report on the forward today, in what could be a busy summer for Leverkusen when it comes to departures.
Tillman wants to leave Leverkusen
The newspaper explains that Leverkusen paid €117m for Malik Tillman and various other signings last summer. But all of them were hardly used by manager Kasper Hjulmand this season.
That’s seen as a clear sign of how poorly the German club and the manager have gelled. And it will have consequences this summer.
Several of the players who were signed are ‘dissatisfied’ and are seriously considering exits. The club are looking at moving players on too. Indeed, sporting director Simon Rolfes hinted as much in recent comments.
“There will be movement in the squad this summer. We’re trying to inject some new energy and strengthen the team,” he said.
Much will depend on the new manager, but Malik Tillman has ‘largely closed the book’ on his Leverkusen. The club’s management have already been informed of this. The 23-year-old wants to leave and use the World Cup to strengthen his market position.
Fulham express interest
Sport BILD report that Fulham have already ‘expressed interest’ in signing him this summer. Leverkusen are open to a deal if they can recoup the €35m they paid PSV Eindhoven last summer.
That tallies with recent reports Sport Witness have covered on the player. The last of those, last month, stated that Fulham were tempting the player to move to the Premier League.
Now it appears that the American has made a decision and he wants out. The question is whether those in charge at Craven Cottage want to pay the €35m asking fee. If they’re open to that, this is a deal which could be done quickly in the coming months.