Romano confirms agreement for Alajbegović: Juventus preparing transfer worth 35 million euros
Kerim Alajbegović is on the verge of moving from Bayer Leverkusen to Juventus after Fabrizio Romano announced on 30 July 2026 that the clubs and the player's camp had reached an agreement. According to his information, the total package amounts to 35 million euros, while a medical examination must still be completed, the contract signed and the clubs' official announcements awaited before the deal is finally concluded.
Juventus has taken the decisive step towards signing one of Bosnia and Herzegovina's most prominent young footballers. Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, who specialises in the transfer market, announced that on 30 July all parties involved reached an agreement on the transfer of Kerim Alajbegović from Bayer Leverkusen to the Turin club. According to his report, Juventus is expected to pay the German top-flight club a package worth 35 million euros, including bonuses. Around 33 million euros is expected to be linked to easily achievable clauses, while the remaining two million would depend on more demanding conditions. Romano added that Alajbegović specifically wanted Juventus and that the personal terms of his contract had also been agreed in the meantime.
However, an agreement is not yet the same as an officially completed transfer. At the time this article was published, there was no announcement on the official Juventus or Bayer Leverkusen websites confirming the completion of the deal, meaning Alajbegović formally remains a player of the German club. Before registration in Italy, it is normally necessary to complete medical examinations, sign the documentation between the player and the club, and carry out administrative procedures between the two associations. Only after that can Juventus and Bayer announce the final details, including the length of the contract and the precise structure of the transfer fee. According to the available information, the medical examination and signatures are the final major formalities separating the 18-year-old attacking player from his presentation in Turin.
The latest estimate points to a package worth 35 million euros
Information regarding the financial structure of the deal changed during the final negotiations. Italy's Sky Sport previously reported a model involving 30 million euros and an additional five million in bonuses, together with a possible percentage for Bayer from a future sale, while some German sources mentioned a base amount of 33 million and a total value that could reach 40 million euros under certain circumstances. Romano's report of 30 July provided a narrower and more recent estimate: a package worth 35 million euros, with approximately 33 million coming through easily achievable clauses and two million through more difficult bonuses. Since the clubs have not yet published the contractual documentation, it is currently impossible to independently confirm the final division between the fixed amount, bonuses and any additional clauses. In deals of this kind, the final total may depend on the number of appearances, sporting results, qualification for European competitions and other predefined objectives.
Even with that qualification, this represents an exceptionally large investment in a player who only turned 18 in September 2025. It is particularly unusual because Alajbegović has not yet established a senior career at Bayer Leverkusen, although he spent an important part of his development in the club's academy and formally returned to the club at the beginning of July 2026. His market value rose sharply after a senior season in Austria and his appearances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to reports from Italy and Germany, Juventus did not wait for the young footballer to establish himself in the Bundesliga, but instead decided to pay a high price for his development potential, international experience and the possibility of immediately including him in the first team. That assessment of risk is precisely at the heart of the entire transfer: Bayer would make a substantial profit on a player brought back by activating a buy-back clause, while Juventus would assume responsibility for the next step in his development.
From Leverkusen's academy through Salzburg to a return to Germany
Alajbegović was born on 21 September 2007 in Cologne and, according to information from the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is 185 centimetres tall. He developed within Bayer Leverkusen's system, where he played in the youth categories and earned the status of one of the most exciting players of his generation. In the summer of 2025, aged 17 and without an official senior appearance for Bayer's first team, he moved to Red Bull Salzburg. The Austrian club announced at the time that he had signed a contract until 30 June 2028, while Bayer included an option allowing him to return in the agreement. Salzburg extended the cooperation until 2029 several months later, further demonstrating how quickly his status within the team had grown.
In March 2026, Bayer officially confirmed that it was activating the return option and that Alajbegović would be tied to Leverkusen by a five-year contract from 1 July 2026, meaning until 30 June 2031. Sporting director Simon Rolfes said at the time that the young attacking player had not only met but exceeded expectations in Salzburg. A club review published on 27 March stated that he had scored 14 goals in 36 matches up to that point, including appearances in the Europa League. Those figures do not necessarily cover the entire season, but they clearly demonstrate why Bayer exercised its contractual right and brought the player back before the start of the 2026/27 campaign. His return to Leverkusen was initially presented as a long-term development project, but strong interest from other clubs accelerated a new decision regarding his future.
His journey over the past thirteen months has therefore been unusually dynamic. In July 2025, he left Bayer's academy in search of senior playing time, quickly earned opportunities in domestic and European matches at Salzburg, and less than a year later the German club activated the return clause. Now, only a few weeks after his formal return, he could be sold to Juventus for an amount many times greater than the transfer fees normally paid for players of his age. Such a sequence of events demonstrates how quickly a young footballer's position can change following a successful first senior season. At the same time, it highlights the importance of the contractual mechanisms through which Bayer retained control over his future market value.
Breakthrough at the World Cup further increased interest
Alajbegović's international rise gained a new dimension at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America. FIFA particularly highlighted his performance against Qatar in Seattle on 24 June, when he scored the opening goal in Bosnia and Herzegovina's 3-1 victory. He scored in the 29th minute, was named player of the match, and FIFA listed him as the eighth-youngest goalscorer in World Cup history. His goal and overall performance were an important part of Bosnia and Herzegovina's qualification for the knockout stage of the tournament. For a player who had only just completed his first full senior season, it was a performance with a level of global visibility that club competition in Austria could hardly provide.
According to the records of the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alajbegović had collected 14 appearances for the senior national team by the match against the United States of America on 2 July 2026. The association lists him as a footballer born in Germany who chose Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in earlier international statements he stressed that he had never had any doubts about that decision. His development therefore carries significance beyond the framework of a single club transfer. In a short period, the national team has gained a young, attack-minded player with experience in European competitions and at a World Cup, while a move to Serie A would further increase the level of his daily demands. For the head coach and coaching staff, the amount of playing time he receives in Turin will be important, not merely the size of the club and the transfer fee.
The World Cup also changed the dynamics of the market. Before the tournament, Alajbegović had already been recognised as one of the most exciting European players born in 2007, but his goal, courageous style of play and performances under the greatest pressure made him better known to a wider audience. Following the tournament, Italian and English media increasingly linked his name with clubs from Serie A and the Premier League. Chelsea emerged as a serious candidate, while reports also mentioned interest from other Italian clubs. None of those clubs publicly announced an offer, so the extent of the individual negotiations cannot be fully confirmed, but Romano's claim that the player gave preference to Juventus is consistent with information from several sources during the final stage of the deal.
Why Juventus accelerated the negotiations
According to Bayer Leverkusen's official description, Alajbegović can play as a left winger and an attacking midfielder, and the club describes him as a two-footed player. That combination of positional flexibility and finishing ability explains why Juventus sees him as an investment that could have both immediate and long-term value. Within the system of a major club, a young player will not be evaluated solely according to goals and assists, but also according to decision-making under pressure, movement without the ball, tactical discipline and consistency throughout a long season. Serie A traditionally imposes high demands in terms of the organisation of play, so adapting to Italian football will be one of the key elements of his development. The high transfer fee increases expectations, although the player's age requires caution when assessing how quickly he can become a regular first-team player.
The decision to give Juventus priority, should it be confirmed by his signature, demonstrates that the sporting plan may carry greater weight than the financial offer alone. Romano explicitly stated that Alajbegović wanted the Turin club, while earlier reports placed Chelsea among the main competitors. For a young player, choosing an environment involves more than the size of the contract: the projected role, possibility of regular appearances, stability of the sporting project, language, style of play and individual development plan are all important. Details of the discussions with Juventus have not been made public, so it is not known what amount of playing time was presented to him or in which position the club sees him in the long term. Nevertheless, the fact that personal terms were reportedly agreed before the medical examination shows that the negotiations have entered their final rather than their initial phase.
For Bayer Leverkusen, the deal would have a different logic. The German club brought the player back by activating a previously agreed option, tied him to a contract until 2031 and thereby gained a strong negotiating position. Should Juventus indeed pay an amount close to 35 million euros, Bayer would monetise the development work of its own academy and its successful assessment that the player needed an intermediate senior stage in Salzburg. At the same time, it would give up the possibility of seeing Alajbegović reach his sporting and market peak in Leverkusen. This is a common dilemma for clubs that develop elite talents: accept a large and relatively secure transfer fee immediately, or retain the player with the possibility of an even greater sporting and financial return in the future.
Medical examination and signatures remain the final obstacles
The next step is expected to be Alajbegović's arrival for a medical examination, after which the contract would be signed and official announcements would follow. The date of the examination has not yet been officially confirmed, although some Italian and Bosnian and Herzegovinian media outlets state that the final procedures could be completed very quickly. A medical examination is not merely a formality: the club assesses the player's current health, previous injuries and potential risks before assuming a multi-year financial obligation. Following a positive result, the contracts can be signed and the transfer registered in accordance with the rules of the Italian and German football associations. Until those steps have been completed, it is accurate to speak of an agreement having been reached rather than an officially completed transfer.
The official announcement should also clarify questions that currently remain open. These include the length of the contract with Juventus, any percentage for Bayer from a future sale, the precise criteria for bonuses and the point at which Alajbegović will join the first team's preparations. Italian media outlets mention different models for the financial structure, which is not unusual before the clubs publish the information or Juventus, as a publicly listed company, confirms it through the appropriate documentation. The latest and most specific information remains Romano's estimate of a package worth 35 million euros. It can only be considered fully confirmed once it matches the official announcements of the clubs involved.
For Alajbegović, completion of the deal would mark the biggest step of his career to date: from Bayer's academy, through one senior season in Salzburg and appearances at the World Cup, to a contract with one of Italy's most decorated clubs before his 19th birthday. Juventus would acquire a player with enormous development potential and an already proven ability to perform on the international stage, but also a footballer who will need time to adapt. Bayer, on the other hand, would conclude an exceptionally profitable cycle involving the player's development and return. Until the examination and signatures are completed, the transfer remains one step away from completion, but the agreement announced by Fabrizio Romano on 30 July indicates that Alajbegović has chosen Turin as the next destination in his career.
Sources:
- Fabrizio Romano, reported by Oslobođenje - announcement regarding the agreement between all parties and the package worth 35 million euros (link)
- Juventus FC - official website containing current club announcements, used to verify the status of the official confirmation (link)
- Red Bull Salzburg - official announcement regarding his arrival from Bayer Leverkusen and his first contract until 2028 (link)
- Red Bull Salzburg - official confirmation of the contract extension until 2029 (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - official confirmation of the activation of the return clause and a contract until 2031 (link)
- Bayer 04 Leverkusen - information regarding his development in Salzburg, appearances, goals and Simon Rolfes's assessment (link)
- Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina - official profile containing his date of birth, place of birth, height and international appearances (link)
- FIFA - report and interview following the match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar at the 2026 FIFA World Cup (link)
- FIFA - official report of the match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Qatar, including the result and goalscorers (link)
- Sky Sport Italia - player profile and earlier reports regarding the financial structure of the negotiations (link)