USMNT Star Seals Record-Breaking Transfer, Makes Christian Pulisic Type Leap | OneFootball

U.S men's national team midfielder Malik Tillman has joined former Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen after they activated the €35 million ($40.9 million) release clause in his PSV Eindhoven contract.

The 23-year-old replaces Florian Wirtz after his big-money transfer to Liverpool—one that broke the British transfer record—and becomes Leverkusen's most expensive ever acquisition. He's also the second most expensive USMNT player of all time, only behind Christian Pulisic's £57.6 million ($73 million) transfer to Chelsea in January 2019.

“We’ve gained another strong and very dangerous attacking player,” Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes said of Tillman's signing. “He can play in both the No. 10 and No. 8 positions in midfield. Malik is an absolute top signing for us.”

The 23-year-old came through the youth ranks at Bayern Munich but struggled to make an impact in the first team, appearing just seven times between 2020 and 2024.

After a successful loan stint with Rangers during 2022–23, Tillman returned to continental Europe with PSV, joining on loan with an option to buy. The Dutch giants exercised the option and kept him through 54 league appearances, where he scored 21 goals and 12 assists. Last season, he scored 16 goals and contributed five assists in 34 competitive games, helping PSV beat rivals Ajax and Feyenoord to the title.

Born in Germany to a German mother and American father, Tillman is signed to Leverkusen through the 2030 season.

Tillman, who has 25 caps with the USMNT and scored three goals in the team’s run to the Concacaf Gold Cup final this summer, said: “This club has always played great football. But in the last four or five years, Leverkusen has grown tremendously and become attractive to many players across Europe. I want to win something.

“That was my ambition in Glasgow and in Eindhoven, and that remains my ambition here."

Leverkusen finished as runners-up to Bayern in the 2024–25 Bundesliga title race, having gone unbeaten the previous campaign to pick up a first-ever league crown. Xabi Alonso was the manager to achieve that feat for Die Werkself—he has since taken charge at Real Madrid and was replaced by former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

As for Tillman, the new season and elevated level come at a critical time, with preparations well underway for next summer’s FIFA World Cup 2026 in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.