Atlético Madrid sign Grimaldo from Leverkusen for €20m as German club accept below asking price

Alejandro Grimaldo is completing his transfer from Bayer Leverkusen to Atlético Madrid for around €20m, with Fabrizio Romano confirming the paperwork is either underway or imminent as of 29 June. The deal ends weeks of negotiations in which the two clubs had to bridge a significant gap between their respective valuations.

The €20m figure most likely represents the guaranteed fixed element of the deal rather than its total ceiling. Spanish outlets had reported a range of €20m to €23m including add-ons, while Sky Germany and Bild had previously indicated a structure of around €22m fixed plus €3m in bonuses — implying a potential total of €25m. Romano’s framing of “around €20m” aligns with the lower bound of those estimates.

Leverkusen had entered negotiations with an internal floor of approximately €30m, a figure reflecting Grimaldo’s contract validity until 2027 and his central role in the club’s historic unbeaten Bundesliga title run under Xabi Alonso in 2023-24. That they accepted considerably less is largely explained by Grimaldo having communicated he would not extend beyond 2027, which left the German club selling against a diminishing-return timeline.

Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro and sporting director Simon Rolfes travelled to Madrid to oversee the final stages of negotiations — a detail that illustrates the club’s determination to extract the best available outcome rather than simply concede to Atlético’s position. For Leverkusen, the fee still represents a meaningful capital gain on a player who arrived on a free transfer from Benfica in 2023.

Personal terms between Grimaldo and Atlético had already been agreed before the clubs reached a financial settlement, with the fee structure being the sole remaining obstacle. The 30-year-old Spanish international is Atlético’s first major defensive signing of the summer and addresses a specific need on the left side of Diego Simeone’s back line. His crossing output, set-piece delivery, and capacity to operate as an auxiliary wing-back suit the demands of a Simeone system that has grown increasingly reliant on wide fullbacks contributing in both attacking and defensive phases.

A formal announcement from both clubs is expected shortly, with the procedural formalities — contract signing, medical, and official notifications — currently being processed.