Last summer transfer window, Real Madrid went out and spent big on the left back position, bringing in Benfica standout Alvaro Carreras, who was an academy product of their own before that, to fill a major need as a new starter over the injury prone (and limited offensively) Ferland Mendy as well as the mediocre Fran Garcia.
Carreras started the season as strongly for Real Madrid as he left it at Benfica in 2024/25 as a breakout Champions League player, but the young left back's level has fallen down hard in recent months, with even Fran and Mendy outplaying him.
Real Madrid could be back in for a left back in the summer 2026 transfer window, and an old target they considered alongside Carreras is back on the table if Florentino Perez and the Merengues want to go down a more experienced route at the position.
Alex Grimaldo is available
According to reporting from Fabrizio Romano, the 30 year old Bayer Leverkusen star left back Alejandro Grimaldo, who is an old Barcelona academy grad, is open to offers this summer window if the right proposal comes his way. Fab says that rumors of him joining Besiktas in Turkey are wide of the mark, as the Spanish international has yet to agree to terms with any club.
Grimaldo may be on the older side, but he is still golden. His technical quality and ability to create chances from set pieces and open play, including scoring beautiful goals from range, set him apart from a lot of other left backs in world football.
Now, the Bundesliga is easier than most other leagues for fullbacks to progress play and shine, whereas La Liga is very tough in that regard, demanding defensively, too. Alex Grimaldo is a lot older than Alvaro Carreras, but he is better technically despite lacking the same verve on the ball and may not be an inferior player defensively.
Grimaldo was on Real Madrid's radar, and there are some fans who regret the club not making a harder push to sign the Leverkusen star, especially since former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso had such a good working relationship with Grimaldo during their time together in west Germany.
This season, Grimaldo has notched 15 goal contributions and 2.5 key passes per game for a pretty middling Leverkusen side, so he is still putting up amazing production despite inconsistent attacking play in front of him. Since he has one year left on his deal after this season and is available for transfer, Real Madrid may want to consider making a play for him as a different style of left back to what they have currently in the stable.
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