Chelsea are leading the race to sign £30m-rated World Cup star Kerim Alajbegovic from Bayer Leverkusen
The West Londoners are readying an offer for the Bosnian teenager, who caught the eye during this summer’s World Cup in North America.
Alajbegovic scored a brilliant goal as Bosnia beat Qatar 3-1 in the group stage to secure progress to the knockout rounds.
The German-born winger only re-signed for Bayer Leverkusen this summer, after 12 months at Red Bull Salzburg. Last season, he scored 13 goals in 44 appearances for the Austrian side.
Leverkusen are willing to consider an immediate profit on the 18-year-old, with The Telegraph reporting that Chelsea are ahead of Juventus in the race.
Xabi Alonso knows Alajbegovic from his time at Leverkusen, with the teenager having spent four seasons in the club’s academy, a period that coincided with Alonso’s tenure.
