Manchester City and Manchester United are plotting a bid for Benfica left-back Alex Grimaldo. The 21-year-old hails from the famous La Masia academy. He was poised to be the replacement of Jordi Alba but failed to get a chance in the first team and Barcelona eventually cashed in on him by selling him for £1.3m.
The 21-year old has been a revelation for the Portuguese club and already netted two goals and set up another four goals this season. Pep Guardiola’s tactics are mainly based on the full backs. Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy are all in their thirties and has passed their prime while Aleksandar Kolarov has mainly played in the central defence.
Benfica have signed Marcelo Hermes from Gremio who is believed to be Grimaldo’s replacement. The La Masia product has a contract until 2021.
The Spaniard has a release clause of £51m but could be sold for a much lower price. Clichy’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season while Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta have one more year left on their contract. Man United bare in dire need for full-backs as well and Grimaldo could be a good solution.
