Kerim Alajbegovic is all but certain to become a Juventus player. The Bosnia international, who has only just turned 18, was spotted on Saturday getting into a car with, among others, Miralem Pjanic at Turin airport.
Born in Cologne, Alajbegovic came through the youth academies of FC Köln and Bayer Leverkusen before the latter sold him to Red Bull Salzburg last summer for just €2 million.
At that stage, Alajbegovic had yet to make an appearance for Leverkusen's first team, although that looked set to change when the club activated their €8 million buy-back clause this summer.
Leverkusen had good reason to do it: despite his age, Alajbegovic produced 13 goals and four assists for Salzburg. He also caught the eye at the World Cup with a stunning goal against Qatar.
For a long time, Leverkusen had doubts about selling the left winger even though they knew they had gold in their hands. They have now decided to cash in on the two-footed attacker, who therefore never made a first-team appearance.
Juventus are paying an initial fee of €33 million, a figure that could rise to €40 million through bonuses. The Germans also negotiated a sell-on percentage during the talks.
On Saturday, Alajbegovic got into a car to complete his transfer, accompanied by, among others, compatriot and former Juve player Pjanic.
Following Jeff Ekhator, Alajbegovic will become Juventus's second major signing. The 19-year-old striker arrived from Genoa for around €16 million. Zeki Çelik also joined on a free transfer from AS Roma.