Barcelona recently had a bid for youngster Timothy Tillman rejected by Bayern Munich.
Tillman’s agent, Christian Rößner recently confirmed with German outlet SportBild that there indeed been a ‘concrete offer’ made for the German-American native by the Catalan giants who have been closely watching him, but it was vetoed by Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeneß.
“There was the concrete offer of the FC Barcelona to Timothy, they have watched it for months and would like to have brought it to the new season,” Rößner said. He went on to say that Barcelona’s plan was to have the youngster train with the first team and play him their second string side.
He then added: “In two to three years he would have become an integral part of the pros.” The Bavarians were reportedly having none of it, with President Uli Hoeneß rejecting the deal as he and the Bayern hierarchy trust the 18-year-old to one day break into the first team.
This is not the first time Tillman has caught the interest of a big European club. Barcelona’s arch rivals Real Madrid were reported to be monitoring the player in October last year and had even sent scouts to monitor him during a UEFA Youth League match against Atletico Madrid.
Tillman was brought by Bayern Munich from second tier side Greuther Fürth in 2015. The president of the club, Helmut Hack, told Bild that Tillman’s departure from the club as a ‘catastrophe’ and that he was the greatest talent to come through the club in 30 years.
The attacking midfielder is famed for his trickery, ability on the ball and his understanding of the game. He has been in superb form for Bayern’s youth side this season, scoring 4 goals and registering 3 assists in 19 games played in the A-Jugend Bundesliga Südwest and the UEFA Youth League.
The Bavarians had reportedly paid €500,000 for the Nuremberg born Tillman, and also recruited his brother in their youth ranks. In a bid to keep him close to his family due to his young age, they also provided his mother a job in Munich.
His father was reportedly an officer in the US Army and his mother of German descent. This allows him to represent both countries and he was invited by the US Soccer Federation to come and train with them in October last year, but he refused, instead choosing to represent the German youth teams.
