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<\/div>\nKerim Alajbegovic Chelsea Interest: Chelsea eye Leverkusen prodigy Alajbegovic as transfer battle heats up<\/h2>\n
Kerim Alajbegovic Chelsea Interest: Todd Boehly\u2019s recruitment team just cannot help themselves. Another window opens, and another highly-rated teenager enters the Stamford Bridge crosshairs. This time, the talk of West London is Kerim Alajbegovic, the 18-year-old Bayer Leverkusen winger who spent last season ripping up the Austrian Bundesliga on loan at Red Bull Salzburg. According to reports from Faktor, via\u00a0Caught Offside, Chelsea are making swift moves. They want this wrapped up before the continent\u2019s other heavy hitters can react.<\/p>\n
The Xabi Alonso twist<\/h3>\n
Here is where the story takes a slightly bizarre turn. Xabi Alonso is apparently pushing Chelsea to get the deal done. The former Leverkusen and Real Madrid boss has actively encouraged the Premier League side to secure the teenager\u2019s signature. It is an odd look for a manager to push a prized asset out the door, unless the German club simply smell a massive, immediate profit on a player who has barely kicked a ball for their first team.<\/p>\n
The lad\u2019s value has gone through the roof. A stellar 2025\/26 campaign in Austria saw him net nine goals in 28 league outings, alongside two more in the Europa League. Total haul? Thirteen goals in all competitions. That sort of output from a wide player still in his teens does not go unnoticed. He is currently pegged at a cool \u20ac22m, a price tag that has Newcastle United and Serie A outfit Atalanta sniffing around. Both clubs had advanced plans to land him this summer, but the sudden Chelsea interest has thrown a massive spanner in the works.<\/p>\n
Scorzo\u2019s take:<\/h3>\n
Alajbegovic is already a full Bosnian international with 14 caps under his belt. He even scored a goal against Qatar at the World Cup in June. The talent is undeniable. He has pace, directness, and an eye for goal that belies his age. But a move to London carries a massive warning. Cobham is already bursting at the seams with expensive teenage attackers. The path to the first team is blocked by a multi-million-pound logjam of young talent. If the Bosnian\u2019s representatives have any sense, they will be demanding strict playing guarantees before anyone puts pen to paper.<\/p>\n
Read: Revelaed \u2013 Chelsea can complete signing of world-class defeneder for \u00a355m<\/p>\n
Moving to the Premier League offers a massive global platform. No doubt about that. But sitting on a cold bench in London will completely destroy the momentum he built up in Salzburg. Chelsea are playing a dangerous game with this constant stockpiling strategy. Buying every kid who puts together a decent six months in Europe is not a sustainable football plan. If the hierarchy decides to shell out over \u20ac22m for Alajbegovic, they need a clear plan to actually use him. Sending him straight out on another loan helps nobody, least of all a player who needs senior minutes to keep growing.<\/p>\n