Chelsea suffer transfer blow after making €40m move
Chelsea have missed out on Kerim Alajbegovic after Juventus completed the signing of the highly-rated Bayer Leverkusen winger. The Kerim Alajbegovic Chelsea pursuit had progressed significantly under Xabi Alonso, but the 18-year-old has instead signed a five-year contract in Turin.
Alajbegovic emerged as one of Chelsea’s attacking targets following an impressive season with RB Salzburg and a breakthrough World Cup campaign with Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The teenager scored 13 goals in 44 appearances for Salzburg before Leverkusen exercised their buy-back option earlier this year.
Ufficiale | Kerim Alajbegović è un nuovo giocatore della Juventus ✍🏻
Benvenuto!⚪️⚫️🇧🇦 I dettagli dell’accordo ➡️ https://t.co/81rMoSeB2W
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Reuters has confirmed that Juventus have signed Alajbegovic from Bayer Leverkusen for €30million, with the Bosnia international agreeing terms until 2031.
The move represents a setback for Alonso, who knew Alajbegovic from his time at Leverkusen and had personally been involved in Chelsea’s pursuit.
ReadChelsea reported on 26 July that Chelsea had discussed a package worth up to €40million for Alajbegovic. Alonso had also outlined a potential development pathway to the youngster.
Chelsea were considering whether to immediately integrate Alajbegovic or allow him to continue developing elsewhere on loan.
However, Juventus have now won the race.
The winger’s performances at the World Cup significantly increased his profile. He scored against Qatar as Bosnia reached the knockout stages for the first time and became one of the youngest goalscorers at the tournament.
Missing out does not leave Chelsea short of attacking options. Alonso already has Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer, Estevao, Geovany Quenda, Pedro Neto and Jamie Gittens available across the attacking positions.
However, Alajbegovic was clearly viewed as a major long-term talent, making Juventus’ successful move one Chelsea may monitor closely over the coming years.
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