Rangers could sell Malik Tillman on for a bumper profit if they can land him for £5 million this summer, according to former Ibrox midfielder Christian Nerlinger.
The German - who spent three years with the Light Blues - watched Tilllman come through he ranks at Bayern Munich while working at the Allianz Arena as sporting director and has been impressed at how well the 20-year-old USA International has done at the Scottish Premiership giants.
Rangers have agreed a fee to land Tillman, who is an injury doubt for this weekend’s Viaplay Cup final, but Bayern Munich and the player must also agreed to the deal. And Nerlinger told the Scottish Sun: “I understand why Rangers are so keen to sign him for that money. If I was at the club, I would be trying to do it as well. This is a player who could be worth a lot more than £5m in the very near future. Tillman's goals and assists are so important. For me, that is what makes an attacking midfielder so valuable. His stats are impressive and there can be no argument against his contribution. Yes, every team needs midfielders who can run, press and pass the ball well. But the top-level players in that area provide goals and assists and Tillman has.
"He provides big moments in games because he has a great attacking instinct when he gets into the key areas. There is a lot more to come from him. When you look at his age, it's really special to see him offering so much to Rangers. He's still in the development phase of his career. He's only 20 and his potential is huge."
"I followed his career from a young age in Germany and I'm not surprised to see him do well in Scotland. I remember seeing him in the Bayern youth team when he was very young. I was always impressed with him and I am happy to see him do so well in Scotland.
"He's strong technically and physically. From what I hear, he is an intelligent guy and he looks like the type who is always willing to learn. To come over to Scotland and settle the way he has is very impressive. He has made a big impact in a short space of time.There is always a lot of pressure when you play for such a big club, but he has handled it all extremely well.”
Nerlinger, who moved to Rangers after a spell at Borussia Dortmund, won a league title winners’ medal and Scottish Cup at Ibrox but his time was plagued by injuries. And ahead of the first piece of silverware up for grabs at Hampden on Sunday, he said: "Rangers need to be winning trophies consistently of course, but Europe is also important for them. It gets harder and harder because the finances are still rising in leagues like England, where money is no object. Rangers have always been a strong club, but to compete in the Champions League, you need to have a longterm plan. You need to be creative with scouting and academy work. If you do that, you can reach the highest European level again."
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