Mega deal rejected! Bundesliga star could have moved to the Premier League for €45 million

On deadline day, Bayer Leverkusen could apparently have sold attacking player Malik Tillman for a seven-figure sum, but the Werkself ultimately turned down a corresponding offer from the Premier League.

According to information from Bild, Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion pushed to sign the 24-year-old in the closing stages of the summer transfer window and were reportedly ready to put around €45 million on the table.

Leverkusen, though, rated Tillman's sporting value higher than the potential fee and rejected a late move for the attacker. The week before, the Bundesliga club had already knocked back an offer from Brighton for a similar, slightly lower amount.

Tillman joined Leverkusen from Dutch top-flight club PSV Eindhoven in the summer of 2025, with B04 paying a fee of around €35 million at the time.

In his first season in a Werkself shirt, the 24-year-old only met expectations to a limited extent. Former coach Kasper Hjulmand used him only sporadically, and he managed just nine goal involvements in 42 matches across all competitions, eight goals and one assist.

Did Malik Tillman want to leave Bayer Leverkusen?

That is also why Tillman was at times seen as a leading candidate for a summer transfer. "What I have shown so far was not what I am capable of. Last season was the worst I have played in my career," he said in August in an interview with Sport Bild. "It was about the coach's trust and the backing from the club. Those are things I have lacked."

Now under new coach Carles Martinez, Tillman is finally expected to fulfil his potential. The Spaniard sees him both as a playmaker and alongside Aleix Garcia in defensive midfield. In the Bundesliga opener last weekend, Tillman started, but Leverkusen lost 3-2 to promoted side SC Elversberg.