'Every player would love to join Real Madrid' admits ex-Barcelona wonderkid
Suraj Radia
- 16 Nov 2023 13:43 GMT
- 4 min read
Real Madrid is a club that ‘every player wants to join’ according to Alejandro Grimaldo but the former Barcelona defender has insisted he is happy at Bayer Leverkusen despite speculation linking him with a move back to Spain.
Grimaldo failed to make the breakthrough at Barcelona after coming through their academy and joined Benfica in 2016 before moving to Leverkusen this summer on a free transfer.
The 28-year-old has had an impressive start to life in Germany, grabbing six goals and four assists in just 11 games this season from left-back, leading to attention back in Spain.
ALTERNATIVE?: Why Grimaldo could be an option for Real Madrid
Real Madrid are believed to be in the market for a left-back and while they are thought to be prioritising Alphonso Davies, Grimaldo’s form has led to his name being suggested as an option – something which the player admitted would be tempting.
“Real Madrid is one of the best teams in the world, if not the best, and it is a team that every player wants to join, but at the moment I am at Leverkusen,” Grimaldo told OK Diario.
“I've been here for three months and everything is going great. We have to keep working and we will see what happens in the future.”
Grimaldo eyeing return to Spain
Grimaldo’s openness to joining Real is perhaps unsurprisingly considering he never played for Barcelona’s senior side and was not brought back to the club upon his good form, something which the Spaniard insists he has no hard feelings about.
He said: “Yes, I understand it, because in the end they also have the position covered, they have very good players and the teams look for positions that are less covered. I perfectly understand.”
REVEALED: Grimaldo opens up on potential Barcelona return
Grimaldo, who received his first call up to the Spanish national team this week, admitted he would like to return to his home country one day but repeatedly insisted he was happy at Leverkusen.
1 - Álex Grimaldo has scored eight goals this season, more than any other defender from the top five European leagues across all competitions. In addition, he has scored the most goals from outside the box of any player, with four. Sensation. pic.twitter.com/YWlyZTzc8v
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 15, 2023
He said: “I still have many years ahead of me and I don't know what the future will hold. But well, I would like to be able to play in Spain in the future, because it is a league that I have always said I want to play in, play at home.
“But for the moment I am very happy in Leverkusen. I'm enjoying these months. I've been there for a while and I want to enjoy it much more.”
