Chelsea have set their sights on Bayer Leverkusen attacker Kerim Alajbegovic this summer, according to Bosnian outlet Faktor.
The 18-year-old winger came through the ranks at Leverkusen’s academy before joining Red Bull Salzburg on loan to gain regular playing time last summer.
Leverkusen activated his buyback clause in March, bringing him back to the club ahead of what proved to be a breakthrough season.
Alajbegovic featured 28 times in the Bundesliga, contributing nine goals and three assists across the campaign.
He also made seven appearances in the UEFA Europa League, netting twice, with his Transfermarkt valuation currently sitting at £18 million.
The teenager announced himself on the world stage at the FIFA World Cup with Bosnia and Herzegovina, scoring in a 3-1 victory over Qatar at just 18 years and 276 days old.
That goal made him the youngest player ever to score from outside the penalty box at a World Cup since Kylian Mbappe achieved the feat at the 2018 tournament aged 19 years and 207 days.
The strike also placed Alajbegovic eighth on the all-time list of youngest World Cup scorers, ahead of legends including Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal.
Xabi Alonso has regularly included Alajbegovic in his matchday squads, and Faktor reports the former Real Madrid boss is keen to add the youngster to his first-team plans permanently.
Serie A side Atalanta had been leading the race to sign the Bosnian international, but their deal is now reported to be on hold following Chelsea’s emerging interest.
Chelsea have already been busy this summer, securing Italian fullback Marco Palestra from Atalanta and beating Arsenal to the signature of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for a British record fee.
Alejandro Garnacho has been excluded from Chelsea’s pre-season training and is attracting reported interest from AS Roma, which could open the door for a new wide addition.
With 13 goal contributions last season and commanding performances at a major international tournament, Alajbegovic has demonstrated he has the qualities to compete at the highest level.