£200k per week Liverpool midfield target is now dreaming of Premier League move

Liverpool’s recruitment team have placed Bayer Leverkusen’s Malik Tillman at the centre of their summer rebuild plans after identifying the USA international as the man to re-energise a midfield that has lost momentum since last season’s Premier League triumph.

Sources in Germany indicate the 23-year-old, currently earning a salary that would place him on around £200,000 per week under a prospective Anfield contract, has set his sights on a switch to England’s top flight when the window reopens.

Tillman moved to Leverkusen only last summer as part of the domino effect that saw Florian Wirtz join Liverpool, yet his debut Bundesliga campaign has already yielded six goals and a string of commanding performances in the centre of the park.

Fussballdaten reports that Arsenal and Aston Villa have registered firm interest, while AC Milan are monitoring developments, but it is Liverpool who first floated the idea of a deal and are now weighing up an official approach.

Leverkusen’s public stance remains unyielding: club officials insist a sale is “currently out of the question” and have slapped an internal valuation of €45–55 million on the former Rangers loanee, citing both his upward trajectory and an expected starring role for the United States at the 2026 World Cup.

Privately, however, the Bundesliga outfit concede that an exceptional offer could shift their position, adopting the same pragmatic policy that allowed Wirtz to depart 12 months ago.

For Arne Slot, the attraction is obvious. Gravenberch and Mac Allister have struggled to replicate last season’s influence, while Curtis Jones’ contractual uncertainty further clouds the midfield picture, leaving Liverpool in need of fresh impetus at No6 or No8.

Tillman’s blend of goal threat, tactical intelligence and Premier League-ready physique ticks every box on the scouting brief, and the player himself is believed to favour a move that accelerates his career in the English game.

Negotiations are expected to intensify once the season concludes, with Leverkusen braced for a bidding war that could ultimately test their resolve.