As Real Madrid announce the signing of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, Rangers would do well to take notes in their own Bundesliga pursuit of Bayern’s Malik Tillman.
The Galácticos of the Bernabéu could wind up paying up to £115m to sign the 19-year-old from the German top flight, with the England international having just been crowned Bundesliga Player of the Year.
But whilst the eye-watering fee should be of note to Rangers, it’s the Borussia Dortmund signing of Jude Bellingham as a 17-year-old which should draw some loose Malik Tillman comparisons.
Jude Bellingham deal can provide Rangers Malik Tillman inspiration
The German giants were criticised for splashing a reported £25m on Bellingham in 2020, with Birmingham ridiculed for retiring the kid’s shirt number despite playing only one full season.
Now set to bank a seven-figure fee from the player’s switch to Real Madrid, the Jude Bellingham transfer can serve as inspiration to those at Rangers perhaps nervous about the £5m attached to Malik Tillman.
There have been some critical of the suggestion Rangers should surrender a large bulk of their transfer budget in pursuit of 20-year-old USA international Malik Tillman, for whom the club boast an exclusive option-to-buy.
Amid reported interest from the Premier League, Rangers fans will have one eye on the arrangement with the plates shifting under the deal and those involved in striking it largely no longer employed at Ibrox or Signal Iduna Park.
There is also a suggestion that the decision will come to Malik Tillman himself, the attacking midfielder mulling over a move to Ibrox as the original transfer arrangement’s deadline prepares to come to an end.
Should there be a sniff of any potential transfer deal, Borussia Dortmund’s initial Jude Bellingham investment can serve as inspiration on a significantly smaller scale with Malik Tillman.
Whilst Rangers might not be able to hold out for £115m transfer fees, an investment in Malik Tillman can be scaled up dramatically in a matter of seasons and that £5m would surely prove a bargain in the years to come.
Rangers fans will have some positive memories of Jude Bellingham, the midfielder glowing in praise of Ibrox when visiting with Dortmund in 2022, and will wish the England star all the best as he joins the legendary Real Madrid.
