Juventus confirmed the signing on their official channels: "Juventus have reached an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen for the permanent transfer of Kerim Alajbegović's sporting rights. The 2007-born talent has signed a contract that ties him to the club until 30 June 2031."
Juventus are paying €30m, payable over four years, plus €2m in additional costs, with a further €5m available in bonuses tied to sporting objectives, for the 18-year-old, who arrives after a breakout loan season at Salzburg in which he made 44 appearances across all competitions, scoring 13 goals and adding four assists.
An wide attacker born in Cologne but a Bosnia international, Alajbegović came through Cologne's academy before joining Bayer Leverkusen, where he made his Under-17 debut at just 14 years old and broke into the first team, earning call-ups at Bundesliga and Champions League level before Bayer Leverkusen loaned him to Salzburg last summer and then triggered a buyback clause worth around €8m to bring him back this year and sell him on to Juventus, fending off a late move from Chelsea in the process.
Speaking in his first interview as a Juventus player, Alajbegović was asked about Serie A and revisited Bosnia's playoff victory over Italy that denied the Azzurri a third consecutive World Cup.
"The game against Italy was a great one, fortunately we won in the end but it was a very difficult match and they played very well. Yes, I feel ready for Serie A and Italian football, playing for the biggest club in Italy is an honour, and I'll have to work hard to improve."
Asked about his goals for the season, he said: "I want to adapt very quickly and show my qualities straight away, I can't wait to get started and play my first minutes in this shirt."
Asked what he would tell his younger self, Alajbegović replied: "Believe in yourself, because you can achieve a lot."
Alajbegović has 11 caps and two goals for Bosnia and Herzegovina, including a goal against Qatar at this summer's World Cup, where he featured in all four of his country's matches.
Despite being born and raised in Germany, he has never wavered in his choice of national team: "My heart beats for Bosnia. When I got the invitation to represent Bosnia, I couldn't believe it. I thought someone was joking with me. I was born in Germany, but I feel Bosnian."
He also became the youngest scorer in his country's history, netting on his debut against San Marino in World Cup qualifying.