Bayer Leverkusen left back Alejandro Grimaldo spent most of his senior career abroad, immediately moved to Benfica from Barca Atletic, and then two summer ago to the Bundesliga. Power to strength under Xabi Alonso, he has admitted that a stint in La Liga, and in particular in Camp Nou, attracts him.
The 29-year-old has a contract until 2027, and his next one is perhaps the last big contract of his career. Leverkusen will undoubtedly like to tackle a potential renewal instead of later, and if not, a sale. In an interview with El Periodico, as worn by sport, Grimaldo admitted that playing in Spain was a goal of him.
“Indeed, it is a goal I have. I am very clear in my mind, even the club knows. I want to return to Spain in the short and medium term, and I would like to experience that I am in Spain because it is my country after all. It is where I want to play and enjoy this experience, and it is one of my goals.”
His manager, Alonso, is strongly connected to a return to the Iberian Peninsula, and in particular Real Madrid.
“In the end I don't know what Xabi will do. It is a decision that only gives him. As far as I am concerned, I grew up in La Masia; it is the club where I grew like a player and as a person, and it is the club I had dreamed for since I was a child.
“It is something I don't want to start either, because football has many turns and you never know what can happen. But it is clear, as I told you before, that I grew up in Barca, and after seven or eight years at La Masía you always carry that with you. That is what I can tell you now.”
Grimaldo can currently have a tough task. With Alejandro Bangde settled as the first choice left back and could be there for some time at the age of 21. As he indicates, there can be many turns in the game. To his honor, Grimaldo had no Spain-Pet up to the age of 27, and only 18 months later is an established part of the team and a euro 2024 winner.
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