They say that ‘no news is good news’ but that realistically looks unlikely in the case of Malik Tillman. 

The USA international has returned to Bayern Munich to continue his rehabilitation from injury with his future uncertain. 

Tillman dazzled in spells during an impressive loan spell at Ibrox and Rangers hold an exclusive option to buy him on a permanent basis. 

However, it’s understood that no agreement over a return is close with Tillman assessing his options as interest from England emerges. 

While many pundits have argued that it's a simple deal to complete, in reality, it’s extremely complicated for numerous factors - transfer fee, Tillman’s desire and Bayern’s buyback clause. 

Rangers' option to sign Tillman is for around £5 million but the Rangers Review understands Bayern’s buyback is in the region of £10m.

Therefore, the club wouldn’t view Tillman as a player to develop and sell for a big fee - like Calvin Bassey - but as a quality short-term option to net a small profit, with Bayern likely to activate their clause if he performs well.  

Bayern inserted similar options when sanctioning the permanent sales of Joshua Kirkee, Tanguy Nianzu and Chris Richards. 

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The German side's motivation is to provide a safety blanket, which allows them protection to re-sign the player if they begin to shine. 

The precise conditions surrounding the buyback option remain unclear in regards to how long it remains active, given Tillman's current contract at Bayern expires in 2024. 

The buyback option is understood to be a flat fee but it could also incrementally rise for every season Tillman stays at Rangers - similar to Real Madrid’s deal with Bayer Leverkusen to re-sign Dani Carvajal.

Michael Beale is a huge admirer of Tillman and he’s made no secret of his desire to secure him on a permanent deal.

After arriving at Rangers in December, Beale was effusive in praise for Tillman, admitting he’d love to sign him and even comparing the midfielder to German legend Michael Ballack. 

Speaking after a friendly win over Bayern Leverkusen, Beale said: “Malik is a fantastic talent and we’re lucky to have him here in Scotland. He’s only 20 but he has a huge future ahead of him, hopefully for this club.

"Would you buy him? So would I. It's a pretty obvious one.

"I really like Malik, he's exactly what I like in a footballer. He can take the ball, he can twist and turn, he's 20 years old and you can see what he could grow into.

"He's the exact type of player we want at this club. I don't know the exact fee or where we are going to get it from but if we can do it, I would definitely sign Malik Tillman, yes.” 

While Tillman’s intentions will be decisive over his future, Rangers also need to contemplate whether that £5m could potentially secure a better return on investment in another form.

It’s understood that talks took place between all parties at the end of last month and Beale spoke positively about his relationship with the player.

He said: “That (talk of permanent deal) is all still ongoing in the background as well.

“Me and Malik are in a great place on a personal level. He's been brilliant for the club and I think brilliant for me in my time here.

“He's a player I think has a really high ceiling - as high as anyone I've worked with in my time here at Rangers.

“There are areas of his game that he certainly has to brush up on but that's why he's come on loan.”

While £5m is a huge investment for Rangers, it’s relatively peanuts to English Premier League clubs with vast resources. 

It’s extremely telling that the two teams Tillman's been linked with from down south are Brighton and Brentford. Both clubs are widely heralded for their innovative recruitment strategies which have been hugely effective in the past few years.

Their transfer business and player identification model are regarded as amongst the best in Europe and the fact they’re monitoring Tillman indicates they believe he can be developed to be sold for a significant profit in the future.

It’s no surprise that Tillman has been identified as a potential elite talent given his education at Bayern and his productivity at Rangers. 

Last season was the youngster's first real exposure to first-team football and it’s often forgotten that he’s only recently turned 21. 

He provided 17 goal contributions - 12 goals and five assists - across 43 games, totalling 2,921 minutes.

Tillman’s technical skills, ability to manipulate the ball in tight areas and goalscoring nous was omnipresent during his time at Ibrox. 

The biggest criticisms he faced were his performances in big games - particularly against Celtic - and his workrate out of possession. 

Tillman, however, improved his defensive output as the season progressed with his Pressure Adjusted (PAdj) tackles (5.83) and PAdj pressures numbers (25.82) for the season the highest of any Rangers player in the Scottish Premiership. 

Matt O’Riley is also reportedly under observation from Brighton and Tillman’s attacking statistics, as displayed in the radar below, compare favourably with the Celtic midfielder.

There is little between the pair in terms of xG assisted and xG build-up, while Tillman progresses the ball by dribbling more efficiently.

O’Riley provided 18 goal contributions with the majority coming from assists (14) across 3,308 minutes - a contrast to Tillman, who scored more goals.

Brighton’s hugely respected recruitment model identifying Tillman - and O’Riley - highlights the American's undoubted potential and impressive debut campaign in Glasgow.

A return to Glasgow would be a no-brainer if Beale can get it over the line. With competition seemingly appearing from elsewhere, that task continues to look anything but straightforward.