FC Barcelona have been moving quickly in the transfer market, having already secured the signing of Anthony Gordon and having an agreement in place with Bernardo Silva.
Currently, the focus is fully on closing a deal for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, but the sporting department, led by Deco, is also working actively on strengthening multiple other positions.
One such area that the Catalans are considering bolstering is left-back. With Alejandro Balde’s performances dipping this season, a good offer could see the club offload the La Masia graduate, with replacements already being identified.
In fact, two former La Masia trainees, Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen) and Marc Cucurella (Chelsea) have been identified as possible targets.
Grimaldo open to Leverkusen exit
Now, speaking to the media, Grimaldo has opened the door to a summer exit, claiming that he desires a summer return to La Liga.
“I want to return to La Liga,” the Spanish left-back said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano.
The 30-year-old defender is currently a part of the Spain squad that will be taking part at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America this summer.
With the competition less than a couple of weeks away, any talks of a transfer might have to wait until after the tournament.
Grimaldo could cost less than €15 million
Grimaldo spent almost eight years at La Masia, having joined from Valencia in 2008. The left-back departed for Benfica in January 2016 without having made a single first-team appearance.
Having moved to Germany in 2023, he has now expressed his desire to return to Spain this summer, with only one year left on his contract.
And, as per reports, Grimaldo could be available for a reasonable price of under €15 million this summer, making him an attractive target.
At 30, he might not be a long-term solution for Barcelona but could prove to be a shrewd signing to add greater experience to a relatively young squad, especially with Robert Lewandowski leaving.
However, he should be seen more as an alternative for Joao Cancelo, whose permanent transfer is still not finalised, rather than a replacement for Balde.
