Kerim Alajbegovic says Miralem Pjanic played an important role in his decision to join Juventus, after the Bosnia-Herzegovina winger followed the former midfielder’s path from Bayer Leverkusen to the Italian club.
The 18-year-old completed a €40m move to the Bianconeri earlier this month after an impressive loan spell with Salzburg last season.
Alajbegovic also made a strong impression at this summer’s World Cup, helping Bosnia-Herzegovina reach the round of 32 before they were eliminated by co-hosts the United States.
He scored once during the tournament and attempted more dribbles than any of his team-mates, with 18. He completed 10 of those efforts and also created four chances – a joint team-high alongside Esmir Bajraktarevic and Ivan Basic.
The teenager is now preparing to wear the same Juventus shirt that Pjanic represented 178 times during his four-year spell with the club between 2016 and 2020.
Pjanic won four Serie A titles with Juventus and helped them reach the Champions League final during that period. His influence was one of the factors that attracted Alajbegovic to Turin.
“When Juventus call, it is truly difficult to say no,” Alajbegovic told Tuttosport.
“It is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am truly proud to wear this jersey. It’s true, knowing the club had faith in me was really, really important for me.
“Pjanic was also important in my choice, because he was a Juventus player, and he had so much influence with this club.
“My father helped too. At the end of the day, it is what we all wanted and we’re happy.”
The move comes as Juventus look to recover from a disappointing Serie A campaign. The Bianconeri finished sixth last season and missed out on Champions League qualification, with Roma and Como securing top-four places. AC Milan also failed to finish in the required positions.
Despite that setback, Juventus decided to retain Luciano Spalletti as head coach for the 2026-27 season. Their campaign begins against Frosinone on 23 August.
Alajbegovic has already been impressed by Spalletti’s approach in training and believes the manager can help him continue his development.
“I can see in training how good Spalletti is, that he always wants perfection.
“It’s good to work this hard, because you learn something new in every session. You concentrate on the precision of the passing, the movement, the positioning. He is a top-level coach for me, and I can’t wait to keep learning from him.”