How Chelsea lost 40 million euro talent Kerim Alajbegovic to Juventus

18 October 2026, 14:24·44·Sport

During the last summer transfer window, the London club Chelsea was very close to signing the 18-year-old talented winger who shone at Bayer Leverkusen, Kerim Alajbegovic. However, the long-term development strategy and cautious plan proposed by the Londoners ultimately worked against them.

In July, head coach Xabi Alonso personally negotiated with the young player and the Bayer management, fully convinced that investing 40 million euros (34.7 million pounds) in the Bosnian talent would bring great future returns.

Honest admission and missed opportunity

During the decisive stage of negotiations, the issue of a guaranteed starting spot became the main obstacle:

Competition and loan spell: Xabi Alonso openly told the player that a starting spot could not be guaranteed immediately due to high competition with Morgan Rogers and suggested a temporary loan move to another club;
Juventus' agility: TuttoMercatoWeb reported that while Chelsea, Napoli, and Atalanta were dragging out negotiations, the Turin club Juventus joined the race;
First-team promise: The Turin side offered Alajbegovic a direct spot in the main project without any loan and quickly finalized the transfer for 32 million euros plus add-ons .

Start in Turin: Spalletti's trust and a Europa League goal

This gamble by Juventus paid off in a very short time:

Quick opportunity: After team leader Kenan Yildiz was unexpectedly injured, the doors to the starting lineup opened for the 18-year-old Bosnian;
Debut goal: Alajbegovic managed to score his first goal in the Turin jersey during the Europa League match against NEC Nijmegen;
Spalletti's recognition: Head coach Luciano Spalletti specifically praised the young attacking player's composure, technical skill, and high level on the pitch.

Although Alonso's honest explanation without over-promising deprived Chelsea of a bright future winger, Morgan Rogers' solid performances for the 'Blues' today ensure that this loss has been painless for the Londoners.