Bayer Leverkusen have moved quickly to secure one of Serbia’s highly rated young forwards, reaching an agreement with Red Star Belgrade for 17-year-old striker Aleksa Damjanović.
The Bundesliga giants have struck a deal that will see Damjanović join the club from June 2026. The transfer is structured around an initial fee of €5 million, with performance-based bonuses capable of pushing the total package to £8 million as first reported by Fabrizio Romano. Red Star will also retain a sell-on percentage, ensuring they benefit from any future move.
Leverkusen have been tracking Damjanović’s progress for several months and stepped up their pursuit after growing competition from across Germany.
RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt and Hoffenheim were all monitoring the teenager, but Leverkusen acted decisively to close the deal before rivals could advance their interest.
Despite his age, Damjanović has already broken into Red Star’s senior side and has played regularly this season. The Serbian youth international has made 15 appearances across competitions while getting valuable experience in a demanding environment on the way.
The move continues Leverkusen’s strategy of investing early in elite youth profiles before they become financially unreachable.
Over the last two seasons, the club has placed huge emphasis on long-term squad planning, targeting players who can be developed internally, integrated gradually into the first team, before they are sold subsequently for profit.
Damjanović embodies this strategy as the club’s recruitment team views the forward as a long-term investment and a player with the profile and technical base to grow into a top-level striker over time.
