At Bayer Leverkusen, players are returning from their World Cup duties on Monday, but one of them, Kerim Alajbegovic, will have limited involvement due to his impending transfer. The club is not willing to risk an injury that could derail a record-breaking deal. According to Bild, Chelsea has offered 40 million euros for the attacking midfielder, which would set a Bundesliga record as never before has a club from Germany's top flight bought or sold an Under-19 player for such a sum. The previous record was set by Bayern Munich in 2016 when they paid around 35 million euros to Benfica for Renato Sanches.
From Bayer's perspective, the remarkable part is that Alajbegovic has not played a single minute of professional football for them. Leverkusen initially allowed him to join Salzburg last summer in an attempt to develop his talent further. The Austrian club paid two million euros with an option to buy back the player for eight million euros. Bayer knew they would trigger this option after just half a year, as Alajbegovic was making too big an impression.
Alajbegovic's performances at Salzburg were impressive, scoring 13 goals and providing four assists in 44 competitive matches. He also made his Bosnia national team debut during the World Cup play-offs against Wales and Italy, and even scored a stunning goal against Qatar. Bayer sporting director Simon Rolfes praised Alajbegovic for his exceptional shooting technique.
Chelsea's interest in Alajbegovic is not coincidental; Xabi Alonso, who now manages Chelsea, knows him well from their time at Leverkusen. Although a move to the Blues seems unlikely due to Morgan Rogers' recent signing, Juventus has emerged as a strong contender with reports suggesting an agreement between all parties. For a basic fee of 33 million euros and potential bonus payments, Alajbegovic could join the Old Lady, where he is expected to start in the first team.
Regardless of which club secures his services, one thing is certain: there will be a record transfer in the Bundesliga.
