Malik Tillman Rangers transfer windfall is ON as Stuttgart see off Premier League rivals to 'land' £6m deal

German giants Stuttgart are poised to land Malik Tillman after the young forward held talks with Sebastian Hoeness about a £6million move.

Hoeness only took over at Stuttgart in April and helped them beat the Bundesliga drop for the second successive campaign and the 41-year-old wants the one-time German champions to rediscover their bigger ambitions. According to German magazine, Kicker , Hoeness has met with Tillman in recent days and is an admirer of the 21-year-old United States star, who was a hit at Rangers on his season-long loan from Bayern Munich last term, and can offer the Bundesliga as Tillman’s next step, rather than Scotland.

Hoeness watched Tillman progress because he was a youth and reserve coach at Bayern for three years between 2017 and 2020, before taking a manager’s job at Hoffenheim. Tillman cut his own teeth at Bayern in the same age groups and Hoeness was monitored the striker’s progress, even after leaving.

Hoeness has Bayern DNA because he is nephew of Bayern legend, Uli Hoeness, who is still pulling strings at the German champions and that will help smooth any problems with a deal for Tillman. Stuttgart struggled for goals last year and needed a relegation play-off win over SV Hamburg to stay out of the second tier and Hoeness wants to avoid a repeat.

Although Tillman is a US international, he was born in Nuremburg and staying in the south of Germany would appeal. Eintracht Frankfurt were also linked with Tillman a meeting with Hoeness seems to have been persuasive. Tillman scored 14 goals in his 43 Rangers loan spell, and voted young player of the year by Scottish football writers.

Ibrox boss Michael Beale was initially hopeful of the striker coming back because of they had the buyout