Title-winning Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso has ruled himself out of returning to Liverpool as Jurgen Klopp's successor
(Image credit: Alamy)
Liverpool may have their work cut out to sign Alex Grimaldo from Bayer Leverkusen this summer, after the defender emphasised the specialness of his relationship with current boss Xabi Alonso.
Alonso guided Leverkusen to their first ever Bundesliga title last weekend, having previously committed his future to the club – ruling himself out of succeeding Jurgen Klopp when he leaves Anfield at the end of the season.
And Spain left-back Grimaldo seems to have no intention of playing for any other manager for the time being.
Alex Grimaldo has provided a Bundesliga-high 12 assists in his first campaign at Leverkusen (Image credit: Alamy)
Explaining his decision to join Leverkusen as a free agent last summer after l;eaving Benfica, he 28-year-old told Esquire: "Xabi Alonso contacts me; that's where the change occurs. He does it two, three times... He was very interested. And in the end, what I wanted was for not only the club to be interested in me but for the coach to bet on me..."
"It is clear that I have a very special relationship with him. I have grown a lot as a player with him and I want to grow more with him, and it is true that I would like to continue at his side, be it at Bayer Leverkusen or somewhere else."
Grimaldo won his second Spain cap in last month's friendly against Colombia in London (Image credit: Alamy)
Grimaldo – who is currently valued at €45m (£38.8m) by Transfermarkt– has made 29 Bundesliga appearances for Leverkusen this term, scoring nine goals – as well as playing a key role in their runs to the DFB-Pokal (German Cup) final – where Alonso's side will face Kaiserslautern – and Europa League semi-finals – where they'll take on Roma.
The one-time Barcelona youngster has been capped twice by Spain and will hope to be a part of their Euro 2024 squad.
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As they search for Klopp's successor in the dugout, Liverpool are planning their summer transfer business, with stars from the Premier League and Serie A among those tipped for moves to Anfield.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
