Chelsea are keeping tabs on highly rated RB Salzburg starlet Kerim Alajbegovic ahead of a possible swoop next summer, as per Ekrem Konur.
Alajbegovic has been in excellent form during his debut campaign with Salzburg, recording six goals and one assist in 21 appearances.
His recent goals in Salzburg’s last two league matches have been crucial, allowing the Austrian champions to draw level on points with leaders Sturm Graz.
While he is still seeking his first goal contribution in the Europa League, his impressive displays in the competition have earned him widespread recognition, attracting interest from several clubs, including Chelsea, who continue to pursue a youth-driven recruitment strategy.
This is according to Konur, who claims that Chelsea are keeping tabs on the Bosnia and Herzegovina international’s progress and could make a move for the youngster next year.
At 18, the left winger has already earned four caps for Bosnia and has netted in the September international break, becoming his country’s youngest ever goalscorer since 1993.
Hence, it’s no surprise several clubs across Europe are set to battle with the Blues for his signature, with Konur adding that Premier League giants Manchester United, along with Real Madrid and FC Porto, are also monitoring the youngster.
Prospect
Having only joined Salzburg from Bayer Leverkusen’s youth setup in the summer, the Austrian giants will be keen on retaining Alajbegovic beyond next summer unless a sizeable fee well above his £4.4m Transfermarkt valuation is met.
Chelsea have built a clear youth-focused recruitment model aimed at securing the brightest emerging talents from Europe and South America. In recent windows, they’ve brought in the likes of Kendry Paez, Aaron Anselmino, Geovany Quenda, Gabriel Slonina, and Caleb Wiley.
Estevao Willian and Andrey Santos are currently part of the first team, with the former already making a name for himself after becoming the youngest ever Brazilian to score the winning goal in the Premier League and score a goal in the Champions League as well as the EFL Cup.
The West London club are not relenting efforts and are now looking to acquire more young prospects, with the latest on the list being Salzburg’s prodigy Alajbegovic.
With several top European clubs also keeping tabs on the youngster, it remains to be seen whether the Blues will make a quick move to secure his signature or shift their focus to other positions, given their substantial depth on the left wing.
