Kerim Alajbegovic played for Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup (Picture: AP)
Chelsea are ‘favourites’ to sign Bosnia and Herzegovina star Kerim Alajbegovic after his breakout performances at the World Cup, according to reports.
Alajbegovic started three games during the World Cup as Bosnia and Herzegovina made it out of Group B before losing to the United States in the round of 32.
Despite that, the 18-year-old’s performances certainly caught the eye, especially against Qatar when the attacking midfielder scored a wonderful solo goal in a 3-1 victory.
Alajbegovic had already attracted interest from several top clubs in Europe, including Juventus and Atalanta, but The Telegraph now report that Chelsea are leading the race to sign the attacking midfielder.
Xabi Alonso is said to be particularly ‘enthusiastic’ about a move for the teenager, who came through the Bayer Leverkusen academy setup while he 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.
Alajbegovic won player of the match against Qatar (Picture: Getty)
Bournemouth are thought to value Scott at around £80m, but have no intention of letting go of the player 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.
