Alejandro Grimaldo to sign for Benfica

FC Barcelona and SL Benfica have reached an agreement for the transfer of Alejandro Grimaldo for 1.5 million euros. Barça also retain the right to a share of any future sale by the Portuguese club of the player who was until now the captain of Gerard López’s Barça B team.

Seven years at the Club

Alejandro Grimaldo (20/09/1995) joined the FC Barcelona U14 team in 2008 from Valencia. Although he was originally an attacking midfielder, at Barça he eventually withdrew into the left back position. Grimaldo matured quickly and was just 17 when he started playing for the B team, and also turned out for the first team in the Copa Catalunya. On 24 February 2013, he tore cruciate ligaments in his knee and spent a long period on the side-lines.

After a recovered, Grimaldo bounced straight back to the best of his game, and was even called up by Luis Enrique in the 2014/15 preseason. He has played 92 official matches for Barça B, and the team has only lost one of the 17 games in which he has been involved this term. Despite playing in defence, Grimaldo has also scored two goals this season.