Atlético Madrid officially announce the signing of Bayer Leverkusen's Spain international left wing-back Alejandro Grimaldo..

Atlético Madrid announced on their official website on Tuesday that they have signed Spain international left wing-back Alejandro Grimaldo from Bayer Leverkusen.

According to Atléti's official statement, Grimaldo has signed on a long-term four-year deal with the club which runs until the summer of 2030.

Furthermore, according to Spanish online media outlet Relevo's resident renowned Italian transfer journalist Matteo Moretto, Atlético Madrid paid Bayer Leverkusen €20 million to sign Grimaldo.

He added that Los Colchoneros originally planned to sign Grimaldo's national teammate, former Chelsea player Marc Cucurella.

However, with Cucurella's swift decision to join their fierce local rivals Real Madrid, Atléti had to turn their attention to Grimaldo.

This transfer will also mark the first time that Grimaldo will be playing in La Liga since leaving Barcelona 11 years ago.

About Alejandro Grimaldo

The 30-year-old Grimaldo was born on September 20, 1995, in Valencia, Spain. He is 1.71 meters tall and primarily plays as a left wing-back, but can also play as a left midfielder.

Grimaldo joined Valencia's youth academy at the age of 11 and Barcelona's renowned La Masia youth academy in 2008, started playing for the Barça B in September 2011 at the age of 15 and remains the second youngest player in the club's B team history (the youngest being Lamine Yamal).

In December 2015, Grimaldo joined Benfica for €1.5 million before completing his Benfcia first-team debut in a Taça da Liga match in January of the following year .

During his seven-and-a-half-year spell with As Águias, Grimaldo won the Portuguese Primeira Liga title three times, the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira three times, the Taça do Portugal once, and the Taça da Liga once.

After his contract expired in the summer of 2023, Grimaldo joined Bayer Leverkusen as a free agent.

During his three-year spell with Die Werkself, Grimaldo made 145 appearances for Bayer Leverkusen in all competitions, scoring 30 goals and providing 45 assists, where he helped the team win one Bundesliga title, one DFB-Pokal, one DFL-Super Cup, and reached one UEFA Europa League final.

Image source: Internet / Atlético Madrid official website