Bayer 04 is bringing back top talent Kerim Alajbegovic from RB Salzburg after one season. The club will pay six million euros more as a transfer fee than he received in the summer. Money well spent.
How much money is a year of playing experience with the professionals worth for an 18-year-old talent? In the case of Bayer 04 Leverkusen and Kerim Alajbegovic, the answer is: six million euros. The runners-up collected two million euros from RB Salzburg in the summer as a transfer fee for the Bosnian, but have now paid eight million euros to trigger the buy-back clause.
It is the bare figures that show that Bayer have done everything right with this investment in Alajbegovic, despite the high transfer fee for a teenager: The 18-year-old, who is still eligible to play for the U19s, has already played 30 competitive matches for RB Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga and in the European Cup (Champions League qualifiers and Europa League) so far this season, scoring a total of nine goals. Thanks to his rapid development this season, the right-footer, who plays on the left side of the attack, has also become an integral part of the Bosnia-Herzegovina senior national team (seven appearances, one goal). In the World Cup play-off game in Wales (4:2 in the final) on Thursday evening, he set up the 1:1 and then scored the decisive goal in the penalty shoot-out.
The teenager would not have been able to make the huge leap in his development this season in Leverkusen, which was only possible thanks to so much regular match practice. As a result, Alajbegovic is now where he might not have been for two or three years without this external training – if at all. His market value is already estimated to be well over ten million euros.
“Kerim has not only fulfilled the high expectations placed in him in Salzburg, he has even exceeded them in a very short space of time,” explains Bayer 04 Managing Director of Sport Simon Rolfes. “Despite his youth, he has already become an absolute top performer at RB and has also delivered top performances at international level in the Champions League qualifiers and Europa League matches. We are sure that Kerim can also play an important role at Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the coming years.”
From the summer, Alajbegovic, who will still formally be an U-19 player, will try to take the second big step into adult soccer in Leverkusen. “For me, it’s a leap to another level. I know the club, Bayer 04 Leverkusen has the highest standards. It’s a top 16 club in Europe that always plays at the top of the Bundesliga. Many young players have already made it big here. I also have this goal,” emphasizes the Cologne native.
Further loan conceivable
If he manages to establish himself straight away, that would be fantastic. However, if the competition on Leverkusen’s numerically overstaffed left side of the attack proves to be too great, another loan to another club would be conceivable, which would then have to be between the level of RB Salzburg and Bayer 04.
The contractual conditions are in place for both cases thanks to Alajbegovic’s new contract in Leverkusen. This runs until the summer of 2031 and therefore offers enough space for a loan – and Bayer the opportunity to enjoy the skills of the top talent for many years in both cases.