Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Malik Tillman revealed he remains open to leaving Bayer Leverkusen this summer after the “worst” season of his career.
The 24-year-old joined Leverkusen ahead of the 2025-26 campaign for a reported €35m from PSV, but struggled under Kasper Hjulmand.
Tillman scored eight goals in 42 appearances across all competitions and failed to record an assist.
Leverkusen failed to qualify for the Champions League, finishing sixth in the Bundesliga as Hjulmand was replaced by Carles Martinez at the helm.
Tillman previously stated he would have left Leverkusen if Hjulmand remained in charge, but the United States international is now giving Martinez a chance.
“That’s still a topic. I’m here because I want to get to know the coach and his plans,” Tillman told Sport Bild when asked about a potential exit.
“I’m observing everything, and the coach will be doing the same. Then we’ll see what happens. The transfer window is still open for a long time.
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) August 13, 2026
“What I’ve shown so far hasn’t been what I’m capable of. Last season was the worst I’ve played in my career.
“Maybe I never really settled in. Maybe it was down to the coach. But those are the usual excuses. In the end, it was down to me.
“I didn’t perform to the level I should have. I can’t be satisfied with that. I believe a lot of people are underestimating me at the moment.
“After last season, with everything that happened, it isn’t easy. It was about the coach’s trust and the backing from the club. Those are things I was missing.”
Tillman has featured twice for Leverkusen so far in pre-season, coming off the bench against Sevilla before starting at Nottingham Forest.
Leverkusen face Wehen in the DFB-Pokal on August 22 before their Bundesliga campaign gets underway a week later against Elversberg.
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