From Bosnia: Manchester City facing Premier League competition for £26M Balkan teenager | OneFootball

Manchester City are among a list of Premier League clubs keeping tabs on RB Salzburg winger Kerim Alajbegovic, as per a new report.

Born in Germany, Alajbegovic made his Bosnia and Herzegovina debut in 2025. The winger is a product of Bayer Leverkusen’s academy, where he spent four years of his career.

Before joining the German giants, the born winger was a part of FC Köln‘s youth system. Kerim was sold to RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga last summer.

He impressed in his debut season, netting 11 and assisting thrice across competitions. Bayer Leverkusen signed him back for the upcoming season, making use of the buy-back clause in his contract.

However, clubs at the top end of the Premier League have now fixated their eyes on this rising talent – and Manchester City are also in the race, willing to pay a premium for the player.

Report: Man City face home competition for Alajbegovic

As reported by Bosnian outlet Reprezentacija, Alajbegovic has attracted a four-way Premier League battle between Manchester City, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Manchester United are understood to have previously shown interest in the forward – when Leverkusen were on his tail for a buy-back. However, due to the clause, City’s cross-town rivals failed to make any detrimental moves.

The report also mentioned talks over a fee in the range of £26 million, a premium over Alajbegovic’s approximate market price of £13 million.

Of the four English clubs involved – Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea are claimed to have already made contact over a potential transfer. Aston Villa, however, are lagging behind on that front as things stand.

A long-term deal and no reports of a release clause

Manchester City will have to table an offer that can’t be refused, assuming no release clause exists in Alajbegovic’s contract.

There are no public reports regarding any clauses in his Bayer Leverkusen contract. A five-year deal also suggests that the German giants won’t be keen on selling their academy graduate again.

At just 18, Leverkusen have full control over their young talent and any transfers will have to be signed off by the club’s management.