Alajbegović chose Juventus over Chelsea: Pjanić mediated in a deal worth up to 40 million euros
Kerim Alajbegović, the 18-year-old Bosnia and Herzegovina international, has decided to continue his career at Juventus, which, according to information from Sky Sport Germany, has reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen on a transfer worth 33 million euros, with bonuses that could bring the total fee to 40 million euros. The young winger preferred the Turin club over Chelsea because he wants a more immediate opportunity in the senior team, while the London club was considering a model under which it would send him on loan to Strasbourg after purchasing him. According to reports in the Italian media, former Juventus and Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder Miralem Pjanić played an important intermediary role in the negotiations.
By the morning of 30 July 2026, the transfer had still not been officially announced through the channels of Juventus or Bayer Leverkusen, so the deal formally remains open until the medical examination, the signing of the contract and the final exchange of documentation. Nevertheless, several sources from Italy and Germany state that the clubs have agreed on the main financial terms and that the player’s arrival in Turin is expected very soon. Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Alajbegović could arrive for medical examinations in the coming days, while media outlets from Bosnia and Herzegovina, citing Italian information, mentioned 31 July as a possible date. Until official confirmation arrives, that schedule should be regarded as expected, but not definitively confirmed.
Juventus took the lead in the final stage of negotiations
The race for Alajbegović’s signature during July involved several clubs from Serie A and the Premier League. According to British and German reports, Chelsea was among the favourites at one point, primarily because the London team’s coach Xabi Alonso knows the player well from the period spent in Bayer Leverkusen’s system. Atalanta and several other Italian clubs were also interested in the young footballer, but in the final phase Juventus offered a project that was more convincing to the player’s entourage.
The key difference was not only the amount of the transfer fee. According to information from transfer journalist Nicolò Schira, relayed by specialised football media, Chelsea was considering having Alajbegović spend the first season after the transfer on loan at Strasbourg. The French club is connected to the ownership structure of the London team and has been used in recent years as a development environment for young players, but such a plan reportedly did not suit Alajbegović. His priority was to join a team in which he would immediately be able to prove himself in training and compete for senior-team minutes.
According to the same reports, Juventus offered a more direct path towards the first team. This does not mean that the 18-year-old is guaranteed a place in the starting line-up, nor would such a promise be realistic at a club that plays under intense pressure to deliver results every season. However, the mere possibility of spending pre-season, daily work and the beginning of the campaign within the senior setup was evidently more important than a model under which he would have to move to a new country and a new team on a one-year loan immediately after the transfer. For a player who has already completed a full season of professional football and appeared at the World Cup, assessing his own development path became one of the decisive elements of the decision.
Differing reports on the structure of the transfer fee
Sky Sport Germany reported on 29 July that the base transfer fee amounts to 33 million euros and that Bayer Leverkusen could receive up to 40 million in total through bonuses. That figure was also carried by a number of other European media outlets, with the note that certain details between the clubs were still being finalised. Sky Sport Italy cited a slightly different structure, namely 30 million euros, five million in bonuses and a share for Bayer in a possible future sale of the player. Differences in reports are not unusual before an official announcement because sources sometimes calculate readily achievable bonuses, additional payments or percentages from the next transfer differently.
Regardless of the final structure, this is an exceptionally large deal for a player who has not yet played an official senior match for Bayer Leverkusen. Transfermarkt estimated that, if confirmed within the stated range, Alajbegović could become the most expensive transfer involving a player under the age of 19 leaving the Bundesliga. Such a fee demonstrates how highly Juventus values his potential, but at the same time it increases the expectations that will accompany every one of his matches, especially during the first months of adaptation to Italian football.
At the same time, Bayer created considerable market value in a very short period. In March, the German club officially announced that it was activating the previously agreed option to bring Alajbegović back from Red Bull Salzburg and that it was signing him to a five-year contract effective from 1 July 2026. Sky Sport Germany states that the buy-back clause amounted to eight million euros. If the deal with Juventus is completed under the reported terms, Leverkusen will generate revenue several times greater only a few weeks after the player’s formal return, although the final profit will depend on bonuses, related fees and any obligations towards Salzburg.
Pjanić’s connection with the player’s family
Miralem Pjanić appears in the story as someone who knows both Juventus and Alajbegović’s family environment. Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport Italy state that the former midfielder of the Turin club participated as an intermediary in the operation. Media outlets from Bosnia and Herzegovina had previously reported that Pjanić has a good relationship with Kerim’s father Semin, who is involved in managing his son’s career, and that he could have helped establish contact and present Juventus’s project.
Pjanić’s recommendation carries particular weight because he wore the Juventus shirt for five seasons and knows the demands of the club, the Italian league and the pressure that follows young players at that level very well. Sky Sport Italy relayed his earlier assessment that Alajbegović possesses talent and the right mentality, but also that he must choose the right project to continue his development. Such a role does not mean that Pjanić decided the outcome of the negotiations by himself, but his experience and the trust he enjoys with both sides may have facilitated the discussions at a moment when the player was choosing between several offers.
For Juventus, this is also a symbolically interesting deal. The club would sign one of the most promising footballers from Bosnia and Herzegovina with the help of a man who was an important part of the Turin midfield for years. For Alajbegović, Pjanić can be a valuable source of advice on adapting to the city, the club, the language and the tactical demands of Serie A, but his actual status in the team will nevertheless be determined by his work in training, the competition and the decisions of the coaching staff.
From the academy in Cologne to professional recognition in Salzburg
Alajbegović was born on 21 September 2007 in Cologne and took his first more serious footballing steps in the academy of the club from the same city. At the age of 14, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen, where he built a reputation in the youth categories as a technically developed and highly productive attacker. Sky Sport Italy states that he scored 20 goals and provided six assists at under-17 level, before adding 15 goals and 13 assists for the under-19 team. Although he did not make his debut for Bayer’s first team, his performances in youth football opened the way for his early entry into senior competition.
In the summer of 2025, he accepted a transfer to Red Bull Salzburg, while Bayer included an option for his return in the contract. In its official review, the German club states that he made his professional debut in the Champions League qualifiers against Norway’s Brann and subsequently received significant playing time in the Europa League as well. He particularly stood out with two goals in a victory over Basel, while in the Austrian league he played both as a winger and as an attacking midfielder. At the end of March, while the season was still ongoing, Bayer recorded 14 goals in 36 appearances across all competitions and emphasised his versatility, ambition and ability to use both feet.
The final seasonal figures differ depending on the source and the way competitions are recorded. Gazzetta dello Sport lists 13 goals and four assists in 44 appearances, while certain specialised sources cite nine league goals and three assists. The same basic picture remains in all versions: during his first full senior season, Alajbegović quickly became an important player for Salzburg, competed in European competitions and demonstrated that he could produce a tangible impact against physically and tactically more mature opponents. It was precisely that transition from youth to professional football that significantly increased his market value.
The World Cup further increased the interest of major clubs
Alajbegović’s rise was not limited to club football. According to the records of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he had collected 14 senior international appearances by the beginning of July 2026. Sky Sport Germany states that he played four matches and a total of 278 minutes at the 2026 World Cup, attracting particular attention with a goal against Qatar in Seattle. FIFA recorded in its official report that he opened the scoring in the 29th minute of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 3-1 victory, after which he was named one of the key players of the match.
His importance to the national team had begun to grow even before the final tournament. Bayer Leverkusen recalled that on his debut in the qualifiers against San Marino he contributed a goal and an assist and that he took responsibility for penalty kicks in the play-offs. In the matches that secured Bosnia and Herzegovina’s qualification for the World Cup, he showed composure unusual for a player of his age, and the international tournament then provided him with a stage on which his qualities became visible to a much wider audience.
For Juventus, such experience is an important part of the assessment. The club is not buying only potential based on youth statistics, but a player who has already competed in European club competitions, a national league and the biggest international tournament. Nevertheless, the experience of one professional season does not remove the need for gradual development. Serie A requires a high level of tactical discipline, quick play without the ball and adaptation to defences that systematically close the space between the lines. Alajbegović’s ability to play on either wing, behind the striker and to finish moves with both feet gives him several possible routes to playing time, but does not guarantee that the adaptation will be immediate.
What the transfer means for Juventus and the young international
With this move, Juventus is showing a willingness to invest a large amount in a player whose greatest value should emerge in the years ahead. In terms of profile, Alajbegović fits the modern model of an attacker who can start from the flank, move inside, create an advantage through dribbling and finish moves from different positions. His height of approximately 1.85 metres additionally allows him not to depend exclusively on speed and technique, although only at the highest level will it become clear how effectively he can use his physical advantages against experienced defenders.
For the player, choosing Juventus is both ambitious and risky. By rejecting a developmental loan, he is choosing an immediate battle for a place at a club where young footballers are compared daily with established internationals. If he receives enough time, a clear role and patience from the coaching staff, Turin can offer him a strong platform for development. If his playing time is limited, the question of a loan could be reopened during one of the subsequent transfer periods. For that reason, the actual substance of the sporting plan will be more important than the mere message that he will immediately be part of the first team.
The next steps, however, are administrative. Alajbegović needs to travel to Turin, undergo medical examinations and sign the contract, after which Juventus can officially present the transfer. According to the available information, the clubs are very close to completing the deal, but final confirmation is expected only after all formalities have been completed. If everything proceeds according to plan, Juventus will acquire one of the most sought-after European players of his generation, Bayer will complete an exceptionally profitable deal, and Alajbegović will open a new chapter of his career at just 18 years of age in one of the most demanding football environments in Europe.
Sources:
- Sky Sport Germany – information about the agreement between Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen, the transfer fee of 33 million euros and bonuses bringing the total to up to 40 million, as well as the player’s international appearances (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen – official information about the return from Salzburg, the five-year contract, the player’s development and his performance during the professional season (link)
- Sky Sport Italy – player profile, possible transfer structure and reports about Miralem Pjanić’s intermediary role (link)
- Gazzetta dello Sport – information about the final stage of negotiations, the expected medical examination and Pjanić’s role in the discussions (link)
- FIFA – official report from the Bosnia and Herzegovina versus Qatar match at the 2026 World Cup and details of Alajbegović’s goal (link)
- Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina – official records of the date of birth, place of birth and appearances for the senior national team (link)
- FootballTransfers – reports about Chelsea’s plan for a loan to Strasbourg and Alajbegović’s desire for a more immediate role in the first team (link)
- Transfermarkt – assessment of the transfer’s record position among players under the age of 19 leaving the Bundesliga (link)
- ANSA – confirmation that Juventus took the lead in the final stage of negotiations and that the operation is valued at more than 30 million euros with bonuses (link)
- Juventus – the club’s official website, checked for the status of the transfer announcement on 30 July 2026 (link)