Chelsea are reportedly favourites to sign Bosnia and Herzegovina international Kerim Alajbegovic, despite Bayer Leverkusen triggering his buy-back clause earlier this year.
The exciting winger was in FC Koln’s academy for his fledgling footballing years before joining Leverkusen’s youth setup in 2021.
From then until 2025, he learnt his trade at the German team before transferring to Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg last summer. There, he enjoyed a breakout season, scoring 13 goals and bagging four assists in 44 matches.
That convinced Leverkusen to exercise their buy-back in late March, with the teenager signing a five-year deal in the process.
And just when he was preparing to play for the German team for the upcoming season, reports suggest the 18-year-old will be heading to Chelsea instead.
Reports in Italy claimed that Atalanta and Roma were trying to secure his services for the 2026-27 season but they were unable to offer much more than £17m.
Leverkusen were said to be holding out for £25.5m for the Cologne-born player, who joined Salzburg for just €2m, but it seems the Blues will blow just about everyone out of the water.
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According to The Telegraph, Chelsea are leading the race to sign the versatile attacker, who can play on either wing and as an attacking midfielder.
Alajbegovic, who was linked with Arsenal, Manchester United, and Sunderland in the past, could cost the Blues around £30m, with Xabi Alonso ‘enthusiastic’ about a deal for the teenager.
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The Juventus target, who won player of the match for his country against Qatar at this summer’s World Cup, is one of many exciting talents who started their professional career at Salzburg.
Famous names such as Benjamin Sesko, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Sadio Mane all made their mark there but none more famous than Erling Haaland.
At the start of this year, Alajbegovic was dubbed ‘Haaland’s heir‘, not because of their similarities as footballers but because he too was a big talent who played at Salzburg.
And while comparisons to the Norwegian international are wide of the mark, he certainly is not short on confidence.
He told FACE TV earlier this year, “I’m not a big star yet! There will be time for that! It is true that I will do everything possible to be one.
“I would like to play for Madrid. As a child I dreamed of giving my best to play for Real. If it’s at Barcelona I don’t have any problem either.
“When I’m in a game, I’m not afraid of anyone! I have a lot of confidence in myself and I do the same when I play against a team of higher and lower level.”
Now, he could be off to Chelsea. And while that is a big move, he needs to be cautious as many players’ careers have stalled off the back of switching to Stamford Bridge, due to the high turnover of footballers there.
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