Barcelona Transfer News: Timothy Tillman Offer Rejected by Bayern, Top Rumours

Bayern Munich have turned down an offer for Timothy Tillman from Barcelona, according to the player's agent. 

Christian Rossner, who represents the 18-year-old, told German outlet Sport Bild (h/t Goal's Joe Wright):

"

There was a tangible offer from Barcelona. They've observed him for months and they wanted to sign him for the new season.

Barca's plan was to let him train with the first team and give him match practice in the second team. In two or three years he would have become a full part of the first team.

Bayern president [Uli] Hoeness vetoed it. They are confident Timothy can become a first-team player.

"

The playmaker is yet to make a senior appearance for Bayern but has notched four goals and three assists for their under-19 side this season, and he has represented Germany at youth level.

The youngster has mostly operated from the left wing this year but can play on either flank, and his exceptional footwork and quick dribbling are particularly eye-catching, while his willingness to help out defensively is similarly impressive.

Indeed, according to Wright, Barca aren't the first to show interest in Bayern's €500,000 signing from Greuther Furth—he's also caught the eye of Real Madrid, which shows the kind of potential he boasts.

Bayern are evidently aware of that potential, so while it may be some time before he's mature enough to contest a place in the first team with the likes of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Douglas Costa ahead of him, it's clear that's the long-term plan for him.

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Meanwhile, according to Portuguese outlet O Jogo (h/t Metro's Mark Brus), Barca scouted Manchester United target Victor Lindelof in Benfica's 3-0 win over Nacional on Sunday.

The centre-back appeared close to joining United in January but was ultimately not snapped up by the Red Devils.

The 22-year-old is a key player for Benfica and has impressed over the last 12 months thanks to his physical prowess, composure on the ball and strong positional sense.

However, if he were to sign for Barca, he may struggle to establish himself in the starting XI. FourFourTwo's David Cartlidge believes Samuel Umtiti's arrival has solved the Blaugrana's worries at centre-back:

Jeremy Mathieu remains an uninspiring back-up, but Barca also have Javier Mascherano, who has proved more than capable of filling in at centre-back.

Mathieu needs replacing, and Lindelof would be a significant upgrade, but unless Luis Enrique plans to switch to a back three, he'd need to be content with a supporting role—which seems somewhat unlikely given he would command a starting berth at a club like United.