By George Overhill

22nd Apr, 2023 | 9:40am

Rangers transfer update as Malik Tillman may already be first summer signing amid 'delighted' Michael Beale forecast

Malik Tillman looks to be headed for a permanent Rangers stay after Michael Beale made a forecast for players remaining at Ibrox.

Speaking ahead of the trip to Pittodrie on Sunday (23 April) to face Aberdeen the Gers boss suggested the lion’s share of those who featured in last weekend’s 5-2 victory over St Mirren (15 April) will remain for next season.

He gave the caveat that Allan McGregor and Alfredo Morelos were excluded from that statement, but with the American loanee also in the starting line up at Ibrox that speaks volumes, as the manager claimed he was “delighted” with his players since he took over.

The Ibrox boss told Sky Sports on Friday (21 April, 4m 22s): “Last week everybody that played barring maybe Alfredo and Allan are gonna be a Rangers player next year, and it was a strong performance again with five goals.

“Since I’ve come back in I’ve tried to pick continuity, we’ve seen that a lot, a lot of the same players have played and the results in the main have been good. 19 wins in 22 games.

“I’ve been delighted with the application of the players. What I get to do this summer is add my own stamp on the group a little bit more, and I’ve already got a fingerprint on this group because I was here when a lot of them were recruited.”

The 20-year-old Bayern Munich player isn’t the finished article yet but he has proven to be a key operator for Rangers this season, to the tune of 41 appearances in all competitions and 12 goals.

At £5million his permanent option would be a significant spend for the Light Blues but arguably cheap for a player with his potential, who has already shown a lot.

There have been games where he has left something to be desired but he certainly looks to have Beale’s trust, and the manager’s latest words suggest Ross Wilson’s departure hasn’t derailed a permanent move.

There had been some uncertainty over what Thomas Tuchel replacing Julian Nagelsmann at the Allianz Arena would mean for Tillman’s future [Times, 3 April], but the Champions League winner with Chelsea was not exactly known for handing playing time to youngsters who weren’t already established first-team options.

If the American is staying in Glasgow as his manager seems to have suggested then it would be an important part of Beale’s squad in place ahead of a summer of change.

In other Rangers news, the club are facing £17million and counting in financial hits a full 34-months after fans were promised a “clean slate”.