Chelsea are ‘favourites’ to sign Bosnia and Herzegovina star Kerim Alajbegovic after his breakout performances at the World Cup, according to reports. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder started three games during the tournament, helping his side reach the round of 32 before losing to the United States.
World Cup standout
Alajbegovic’s performances caught the eye, especially against Qatar when he scored a wonderful solo goal in a 3-1 victory. His displays attracted interest from several top European clubs, including Juventus and Atalanta, but The Telegraph reports that Chelsea are leading the race to sign him.
Xabi Alonso's enthusiasm
Xabi Alonso is said to be particularly ‘enthusiastic’ about a move for the teenager, who came through the Bayer Leverkusen academy while Alonso was in charge of the Bundesliga club. Alajbegovic was sold to Red Bull Salzburg for around €2million (£1.7m) last summer, but Leverkusen activated a buyback clause only 12 months later after he scored 13 goals in 44 matches for the Austrian side.
However, the German club could look to cash in on the midfielder straight away for a fee of around £30m.
Chelsea's busy transfer window
Chelsea have already been active in the transfer market since Alonso’s arrival, following up the signing of Atalanta right-back Marco Palestra with a record-breaking £117m deal for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers. Alejandro Garnacho is poised to go the other way, after a loan deal with an option to buy was agreed between both clubs for the Argentine winger.
Nicolas Jackson could also be heading to Villa, with Unai Emery a keen admirer of the Senegalese striker after the pair worked together at Villarreal.
Other targets
Elsewhere, the Blues are keen on Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott, but saw their opening £64million bid rejected immediately by the Cherries. Bournemouth are thought to value Scott at around £80m, but have no intention of letting him go this summer and will reportedly not welcome any follow-up bids from Chelsea. Manchester United and Arsenal have also been linked with the English midfielder, who has rejected the offer of a new deal at Bournemouth.
