Barcelona rekindle transfer pursuit of 29-year-old Bundesliga star in potential €40m deal: Reports
LaLiga giants Barcelona are reportedly looking to reinforce their left-back position with Bayer Leverkusen star Alejandro Grimaldo. The 29-year-old is a La Masia graduate who left the Catalan giants in 2016 before making his first-team debut.
Grimaldo left the Catalan outfit to join Benfica and established himself as one of the most sought-after left-backs in Europe. The Spaniard played 303 games with As Águias, recording 27 goals and 66 assists. He also led Benfica to four Liga Portugal titles, the Portuguese Cup, the Portuguese League Cup, and three Portuguese Super Cups.
In 2023, he joined Bayer Leverkusen on a Bosman move and played an integral role in their historic Bundesliga win under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso. This season, he has already played 33 games for the club, scoring four goals and creating ten more.
According to a report by fichajes.net, Barcelona desire to bring Alejandro Grimaldo back to Catalonia and are willing to invest €40 million to secure the signing. Hansi Flick sees him as the perfect competition for Alejandro Balde, who has established himself as the undisputed starter for La Blaugrana in the left-back position.
However, Grimaldo's contract with Bayer Leverkusen runs till the summer of 2027. Therefore, the Catalan giants might need to lighten their cash coffers to bring the Spaniard back to the club. Finally, the report by Fichajes.net also states that Grimaldo is keen on a return to Barcelona despite his current importance in the Leverkusen setup.
Hansi Flick offers his two cents on Barcelona drawing Benfica in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw
On February 21, 2025, Barcelona were pitted against Portuguese giants Benfica in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 draw. The Catalan giants finished second in the table after the completion of the UCL group stage with 19 points in eight games. Benfica, meanwhile, beat AS Monaco 4-3 on aggregate in a two-legged playoff to reach the Round of 16.
Ahead of the heated clash, Hansi Flick has exercised caution while lavishing praise on Bruno Lage's side. He said (via Barca Blaugranes):
“I think it’s a tough game, Benfica plays very well. They’re strong, and we’ve seen that they know their opponents very well lately. It’s not easy to measure up to them. I don’t think they’re an easy opponent at all.”
“It’s not easy, it’s very difficult, but there are no excuses. But you have to take into account the quality of the other teams. The level of the rivals we have in front of us is fantastic,” Flick added.
Benfica will host the first leg of the clash at Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on March 5. The Catalan giants will host the reverse leg on March 11.
