Atletico Madrid have confirmed the signing of Alejandro Grimaldo from Bayer Leverkusen, with the 30-year-old left-back putting pen to paper on a contract until June 2030. The fee is reported at around €22m, with add-ons that could push the total package closer to €25m depending on performance clauses. It ends a three-year spell in Germany and brings the Valencia-born defender back to Spain, where he came through the youth ranks at Valencia and Barcelona before making his name abroad.
For Atletico, this addresses a problem Diego Simeone has carried for a while. Matteo Ruggeri had been holding down the left-back spot without ever fully convincing the manager, and there had been reported interest from Italian clubs in taking him back. Grimaldo is the most accomplished specialist Atletico have brought in at left-back since Filipe Luis left the club in 2019, and he gives Simeone a genuine dead-ball threat from a defensive position — his free-kick delivery is rated among the best in Europe for his role, which matters for a side that has often lacked a reliable set-piece taker from wide areas.
Leverkusen lose one of the defining figures of their recent history. Grimaldo made 145 appearances for the club, scoring 30 goals and providing 45 assists, and was central to the unbeaten Bundesliga and German Cup double under Xabi Alonso in 2023-24. He also took on a leadership role, wearing the captain's armband on occasion this past season. Leverkusen's sporting director Simon Rolfes acknowledged as much on his exit, saying his style of play was a defining feature of the club's identity and that his free kicks were iconic.
His form did not drop off before the move. In 2025-26 Grimaldo scored eight goals and added seven assists in 25 Bundesliga appearances, numbers that put him among the most productive defenders anywhere in the division, even as Leverkusen finished sixth and had to settle for a Europa League place rather than another title challenge. That end-of-season slide for Leverkusen is part of why the club, needing funds and aware his contract situation meant a shrinking asset, ultimately accepted a fee below their initial valuation.
At Atletico, Grimaldo should slot into a role that suits his all-round game. He can play as a orthodox left-back in a back four or push higher as a wing-back in a back five, and his background as a central midfielder and winger in Barcelona's academy means he is comfortable tucking infield to help build attacks rather than just overlapping. Combined with his crossing and set-piece work, that versatility gives Simeone another way to create chances from wide areas, an area of the pitch Atletico have periodically lacked a real difference-maker.
Grimaldo himself has been open about wanting this move for some time, saying his dream was to return to Spain and that he was very happy to join Atletico. He said his contact with Simeone before the deal was limited to a message of congratulations after his transfer, but he now joins a squad expected to challenge on multiple fronts next season, with a left-back spot that looks considerably more settled than it did a few months ago.