Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso coach has determined the next transfer target after being held by Al Hilal at FIFA Club World Cup 2025. And this can be detrimental to Man United.
The new coach Xabi Alonso had just had a match to debut as Captain of Real Madrid on Wednesday, when the Spanish Royal team was held by Al Hilal 1-1 in the group stage of the World Cup. Trent Alexander-Arnold, a rookie who just joined Liverpool on June 1, had a match with former Bournemouth center-back Dean Huijsen.
Speaking after the match, Alonso said: “First, I want to congratulate them. This is a big day in their career. Debut in the Real Madrid shirt will surely leave a deep impression. I am very satisfied because they have strong personality and will be important players with us. They will enhance the quality of the squad.”
However, Real Madrid's summer transfer has not stopped. According to the Ser, the left -back Alejandro Grimaldo of Bayer Leverkusen emerged as a target targeted by Alonso when he used to work with him at the Bundesliga last season.
Grimaldo, 29, is one of the key factors that helped Leverkusen win the domestic double season 2023/24, winning the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, and at the end of the Europa League final.
Grimaldo's current contract with Leverkusen has been limited to June 2027, and he may cost over £ 25 million, according to Transfermarkt's valuation.
It is still unclear whether Leverkusen is ready for him to leave, but one thing is for sure: Grimaldo admires Xabi Alonso.
Speaking in 2023, when Alonso also led Leverkusen, Grimaldo said: “He is a wonderful coach, passionate about the job. I really want to work with him because he used to be a class player. Now when he witnessed him as a coach, I admired more – he inspired every day with passion and tactical ideas.
So how does this affect Man United? Earlier, Real Madrid was thought to be pursuing Alvaro Carreras – the Spanish left -back used to wear the Man United youth team in the period of 2020–2024, currently playing for Benfica. However, according to the Ser radio, the Carreras deal broke up before the World Cup club.
The fact that Real Madrid shifted to Grimaldo means that the Carreras deal may no longer be revived – this directly affects Man United. The reason is because the Red Devils have a term of 20% of the difference value if Benfica sells Carreras for a fee that exceeds 5 million pounds, according to a source from Manchester Evening News (Men). With Real's abandonment of Carreras, MU will likely miss a significant profit from this deal.