It would be a little misguided to describe it as one of European football’s worst-kept secrets. Because a club still giddy off the celebrations of their first league title win in six years never once hid their desire to sign the former Rangers ace this summer.
And, on Friday afternoon, they did exactly that.
12 month after his spell at Rangers was brought to an end – albeit thanks to factors beyond his control – a youngster who made quite the impression at Ibrox became one of the most expensive signings in the history of a club with a European Cup title in their trophy cabinet.
And, in truth, it only really felt like a matter of time beforePSV Eindhoven triggered the option-to-buy clause in Malik Tillman‘s Bayern Munich contract, reported by ESPN to be around the £12 million mark.
Former Rangers star seals £12 million transfer
Head coach Peter Bosz, after the 4-2 win over Sparta Rotterdam which secured PSV’s place at the top of the Dutch football tree, confirmed his intention tokeep Tillman long term. As did CEO Marcel Brands, the USA international labelled a ‘genius’ after playing such an integral role in PSV’s thrilling run-in.
The only obstacle, really, was Bayern Munich.
As Tillman’s former Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst explained, the Glasgow giants wanted to rubber-stamp a full-time contract too. Bayern, however, opted to terminate that option-to-buy arrangement and send him to PSV instead, the Dutch giants offering to pay the sort of package far in excess of what Rangers would have paid.
“Malik has more than proven his worth this season,” director Earnest Stewart tells the PSV website with Tillman now tied down until 2027. “He is a fantastic footballer with many qualities. In addition, he has also undergone tremendous development, as a footballer and as a person.
“I am very happy that he will play for PSV for a long time.”
The consolation prize, as far as Rangers are concerned, is a windfall of around £1.2 million. The Scottish Premiership challengers were compensated with a 10 per cent sell-on clause when Bayern re-called Tillman last summer.
Malik Tillman an Eredivisie champion with PSV Eindhoven
“I am very happy that I will stay at PSV longer,” smiles Tillman, who managed nine goals and a hugely-impressive 15 assists for Bosz’s free-scoring side.
“The first season has been great and I hope that we will win many more trophies in the coming years,. (PSV’s faith) gives me the confidence that I am in the right place here and that I can develop into an even better footballer.”
“I am very happy that he is staying,” adds Bosz. “He is only 21 years old, but has already taken so many steps in his development this year. That is nice to see and I am curious to see how he will continue to develop.”
Rangers are expected to once again be in the market for some of football’s untapped potential this summer. One target, 20-year-old Aussie starlet Raphael Borges Rodrigues, will be hoping to make an impact similar to that of Tillman’s if he heads to Scotland from A-League outfit MacArthur FC.
A possible replacement for Fabio Silva or Abdallah Sima, Raphael’s agent opened the door to Rangers this week while admitting that reports linking his client with a move to Britain are indeed on the money.
