Chelsea ‘to hijack another huge European transfer as they target record-breaking World Cup star as Garnacho replacement’

CHELSEA have reportedly set their sights on Bayer Leverkusen teenager Kerim Alajbegovic. The 18-year-old Alajbegovic may be the perfect replacement after Alejandro Garnacho underperformed last season. Chelsea have reportedly set their sights on Bayer Leverkusen teenager Kerim Alajbegovic Credit: Getty Alajbegovic became the youngest player to score from outside the penalty area at a World Cup Credit: Getty If they’re able to shift Garnacho for a good price, Chelsea may be able to fend off competition from Atalanta for the Bosnian forward. Xabi Alonso confirmed at his official unveiling on Monday that the Argentinian missed his first training session amid interest from other clubs. Sign up for the Chelsea newsletter Thank you! And with Jamie Gittens not up to scratch either, the West London outfit are on the hunt for a new left winger. According to Faktor, the former Leverkusen head coach has been pushing for the star’s signature. Alajbegovic- a Leverkusen youth academy product – trained with Alonso’s first team in Germany and even featured in a few matchday squads. But he never made his professional debut. After a season with RB Salzburg, Alajbegovic rejoined Leverkusen in March due to a contractual buyback clause. Last season in the Bundesliga, the ace made 28 appearances and scored nine goals with three assists. Most read in Sport WORLD CUP 2026 FREE BETS AND SIGN UP OFFERS Outside of the league, the youngster even notched seven appearances in the Europa League – scoring twice. But Alajbegovic has had a record-breaking World Cup summer in North America with Bosnia & Herzegovina. He netted the first goal in their 3-1 victory over Qatar at 18 years and 276 days old. The strike crowned Alajbegovic as the youngest player to score from outside the penalty area at a World Cup. Marco Palestra was unveiled as Xabi Alonso’s first signing at Chelsea Credit: Getty Chelsea are set for pre-season friendlies in Australia before hitting the Premier League Credit: Getty He leapfrogged France superstar Kylian Mbappe at the 2018 World Cup who scored from distance at the age of 19 years and 207 days. He is also the eighth-youngest World Cup goalscorer overall, with the likes of Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal coming in older. If Chelsea can pull off the transfer, it will be the second hijacking of the summer having already secured Marco Palestra from Atalanta despite Inter Milan interest. The Italian right-back signed on a six-year deal worth around £47million. Comment now