Tillman returns to the Bundesliga after completing Leverkusen transfer

Bayer Leverkusen have signed Malik Tillman from PSV Eindhoven for a reported club-record fee of €35 million. The 22-year-old US international returns to the Bundesliga, having previously spent three years at Bayern Munich, and has signed a contract with Leverkusen until 2030.

Tillman joins after a successful season at PSV, where he made 34 appearances across all competitions in 2024-25, scoring 16 goals and providing 5 assists to help secure the Eredivisie title. He ranked second at PSV for dribbles completed (42) and joint-fourth for chances created (41) in the league. Remarkably, Tillman ended his PSV tenure with the highest win percentage (85.2% - W46 D4 L4) of any player with 50+ games in Eredivisie history.

Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes hailed the signing, stating, "We've gained another strong and very dangerous attacking player," and emphasized Tillman's versatility: "He can play in both the number 10 and the number 8 positions in midfield. Malik is an absolute top signing for us." Tillman also recently contributed significantly to the USMNT's Gold Cup run, scoring three goals and providing two assists before their final defeat to Mexico.

The acquisition aims to fill the void created by Florian Wirtz's departure to Liverpool earlier this summer for a reported £116m (€135m). Wirtz was a pivotal figure under Xabi Alonso, making 119 appearances, scoring 38 goals, and providing 43 assists. He played a key role in Leverkusen's historic unbeaten domestic double (Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal) in 2023-24 and followed that with 30 goal involvements (16 goals, 14 assists) last season. He recorded the most assists for Leverkusen and was second only to Alex Grimaldo in chances created (91).