‘No To Chelsea’ – Blues Overtaken Amid Talks ‘In Great Secrecy’ | OneFootball

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Chelsea are set to miss out on highly-rated talent Kerim Alajbegovic, with Juventus reaching an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen ‘in great secrecy’.

As part of life under Xabi Alonso’s new era, the Blues have already secured the club-record signing of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.

The west London outfit have also landed right-back Marco Palestra, whom they view as an immediate fit for Alonso’s plans despite his tender age.

As they continue to stockpile emerging talent, Chelsea have also been pursuing Alajbegovic, who attracted interest from Aston Villa and Newcastle United earlier in the transfer window.

The 18-year-old also played a prominent role for Bosnia at the World Cup, underlining his immense potential by finding the back of the net during the tournament.

Chelsea, however, now appear destined to miss out on Alajbegovic, with Juventus having reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen.

The talks happened ‘in great secrecy’, according to Italian journalist Mirko Di Natale, while the player said ‘no to Chelsea’ amid the Blues’ desire to loan him to Strasbourg.

The Old Lady are prepared to pay €30m plus a further €5m in bonuses to secure the winger’s signature, while Leverkusen will also retain a percentage of any future sale.

Alonso was well acquainted with the Bosnian from his time at Leverkusen and had hoped for a reunion, but Alajbegovic looks to be set for Juventus despite his family preferring Atalanta as a destination.

The Bundesliga outfit only re-signed the Bosnian this summer after activating their buy-back clause from Red Bulls Salzburg and now stand on the verge of banking a sizeable windfall in remarkably quick fashion.

Chelsea are likely to view the development as a setback, having made the recruitment of elite young talent a cornerstone of their long-term project at Stamford Bridge.

An official announcement could well be expected in the coming days, with Juventus eager to welcome Alajbegovic to Turin.

Chelsea, meanwhile, will turn their attention to alternative targets and, alongside their drive to recruit promising youngsters, are also adding proven experience as they close in on the signings of Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.