Chelsea favourites to land Kerim Alajbegovic for £30m
Chelsea are favourites to sign Bayer Leverkusen teenager Kerim Alajbegovic, with reports valuing a move near £30 million after his World Cup breakthrough for Bosnia and Herzegovina. The 18-year-old left winger is also attracting Atalanta interest, and Leverkusen are open to selling.
Key Takeaways
- The Telegraph reports Chelsea are favourites for Kerim Alajbegovic in a deal around £30m.
- Xabi Alonso is pushing for the Bosnian winger, according to Faktor, as Chelsea seek a left-sided option.
- Bayer Leverkusen are open to a sale after an €8m buyback, Kicker reports via Get German Football News.
- Atalanta and other Serie A clubs are linked; The Athletic says there are no concrete talks yet.
- Alajbegovic became the youngest player to score from outside the box at a World Cup.
Why are Chelsea chasing Kerim Alajbegovic now?
According to The Sun, Chelsea have set their sights on the Leverkusen teenager as they look for a new left winger. Alejandro Garnacho underperformed last season, and Jamie Gittens has also failed to convince.
Bosnian outlet Faktor reports that Alonso, Chelsea’s new head coach and formerly in charge at Leverkusen, has been pushing for Alajbegovic’s signature. Alonso confirmed at his unveiling that Garnacho missed his first training session amid interest from other clubs. Selling Garnacho for a strong fee could help Chelsea compete with Atalanta for the Bosnian forward.
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Are Bayer Leverkusen willing to sell?
Get German Football News, citing Kicker, says Leverkusen remain open to selling Alajbegovic amid the Chelsea links. Correspondent Stephan van Nocks indicated the club is willing to let him leave and bank a quick profit.
Leverkusen exercised an €8m buyback option on the academy graduate. He has not featured for the Bundesliga side since returning, and Transfermarkt lists his market value at about €22m. Rumours of Chelsea interest stem from The Athletic, which stresses that no concrete negotiations are under way yet. Several Serie A clubs are also monitoring him.
What did Kerim Alajbegovic do at the World Cup?
Alajbegovic, a Leverkusen youth product who trained with Alonso’s first team and sat in matchday squads without making a senior debut there, spent a season at RB Salzburg before Leverkusen triggered the buyback. He then enjoyed a record-breaking World Cup summer with Bosnia and Herzegovina in North America.
He scored the first goal in a 3-1 win over Qatar at 18 years and 276 days old, becoming the youngest player to score from outside the penalty area at a World Cup—ahead of Kylian Mbappé’s 2018 mark (19 years, 207 days). He is also the eighth-youngest World Cup goalscorer overall.
The Telegraph has cast Chelsea as favourites for a roughly £30m move. If completed, it would follow their summer capture of Marco Palestra from Atalanta on a six-year deal worth around £47m, despite Inter Milan interest—another deal framed as a hijack of European rivals.