Alejandro Grimaldo joins Atletico Madrid from Bayer Leverkusen on long-term deal

[p][b]"([a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/grimaldo-alex/6cAIrW5Q/"]Grimaldo[/a]) has signed for our club until June 30, 2030,"[/b] said [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/atl-madrid/jaarqpLQ/"]Atletico[/a] in a statement.[/p][p][b]"A versatile left-back who can also play as a wing-back, central midfielder and even attacking midfielder, he stands out for his technique and vision."[/b][/p][p]The 30-year-old, who spent time at [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/barcelona/SKbpVP5K/"]Barcelona[/a]'s academy before joining Benfica in 2016, is currently at the World Cup with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a].[/p][embed guid="33dc1cf3-7102-4c26-9951-a6dc2ae005ed" url="https://x.com/atletienglish/status/2071957759575167100" social-type="twitter" /][p]Grimaldo moved to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bayer-leverkusen/4jcj2zMd/"]Leverkusen[/a] in 2023 and was a key part of their Bundesliga-winning side in 2024 under Xabi Alonso.[/p][p]The attacking full-back is a set-piece specialist, netting six free-kicks over the last three seasons, and no player has more in that period in Europe's top five leagues.[/p][image alt="Grimaldo's season stats in the Bundesliga for 25/26" id="97485d01-4b71-4a5d-9df5-54c29d87cc70" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform (photo by Reuters / Siphiwe Sibeko)" guid="13d047e5-57fa-4538-9a82-cae9a19aa8d7" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]Atletico had been linked with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/cucurella-marc/QTynbZd3/"]Marc Cucurella[/a], who signed for rivals Real Madrid earlier in June, before moving for Grimaldo to bolster coach Diego Simeone's options.[/p][p]The Rojiblancos finished fourth in LaLiga last season, 25 points behind champions Barcelona, and were beaten by Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey final.[/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/news/transfer-news-live-tracker-updates/8QqUWm3n/"]Follow all the latest transfer news here![/a][/b][/p]