€40m-rated La Masia graduate openly expresses desire to return to Barcelona | OneFootball

Although strengthening the forward line remains the top priority of FC Barcelona for the next summer transfer window, the Blaugranes will also be looking to reinforce some other areas of the team if their finances allow.

One such position that Hansi Flick reportedly wants addressed is that of the flanks, where Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde are fixed starters, but the Catalan team can still do with greater depth.

As a result, Barcelona have been linked with several fullbacks in the last few months. Meanwhile, another highly exciting fullback has once again highlighted his desire to join the Blaugrana club, even though it is quite unlikely that he will come as a rotation piece.

This fullback is none other than the Bayer Leverkusen defender Alejandro Grimaldo, who recently appeared in an interview with EL PERIÓDICO DE ESPAÑA (h/t SPORT), and talked about different aspects of his career.

One of the subjects he talked about was his desire to return to Spain in the coming years:

“Definitely, it’s a goal I have. I have it very clear in my mind, and even the club knows it. I want to return to Spain in the medium or short term, and I would like to experience playing there because, in the end, it’s my country. It’s where I want to play and enjoy this experience, and it’s one of my objectives.”

When asked whether he would follow his coach Xabi Alonso if he joined Real Madrid, the €40m-rated Spanish defender was quite clear about where his heart lies:

In the end, I don’t know what Xabi is going to do. That’s a decision that concerns only him. As for me, I grew up at La Masía. It’s the club where I developed as a player and as a person, and it’s the club I dreamed of playing for since I was a child.”

“I remember some interviews from when I was little where I already said that my dream was to reach Barça’s first team, and that has always remained my dream.

The interview pushed him further to assess whether he would give up an opportunity to join the two big Madrid clubs to join Barcelona, and Grimaldo replied:

“That’s something I don’t really want to get into because football takes many twists and turns, and you never know what can happen. But as I said before, I grew up at Can Barça, and in the end, when you spend seven or eight years at La Masía, that stays with you forever. That’s all I can say for now.”

These comments will definitely excite Blaugrana fans, as Grimaldo has grown to become one of the best players in his position since leaving Barcelona. Hopefully, he will return to his boyhood club one day and achieve his dream of succeeding with the Catalan club.