Scotland defender Andy Robertson has developed into a world-class left-back since joining Liverpool from Hull City in the summer of 2017. In addition to his intense up-and-down movement, he has also penetrated into the penalty area when attacking and has recorded a large number of assists.
In reserve is Greek defender Kostas Tsimikas, while Joe Gomez has also performed well in the same position this season. The club has a solid squad and is not a point of reinforcement for this summer at the moment.
Nevertheless, the former Olympiacos defender has been playing poorly of late and has not been back in condition since his injury. He is not even in regular contention with the Scotland captain and it is no surprise that he is looking for a replacement.
According to Football Transfers, Liverpool and Arsenal are interested in Spanish defender Alejandro Grimaldo, who has been a stalwart for Bayer Leverkusen in their Bundesliga campaign this season. The Valencia-born defender joined his current club from long-time club Benfica in the summer of 2023.
After establishing himself in the starting line-up from the start of the season, he has scored 11 goals and provided 15 assists in 41 games throughout the Europa League and DFB Pokal. He plays in a position closer to a wing-back than a natural side-back.
Together with Jeremy Frimpong on the right flank, he has been involved in a number of goals. As a result, he was selected for the Spanish national team in November 2023 and pitched in two matches. As the 28-year-old defender is the best performer on German soil, it is normal that strong clubs are interested in him.
Arsenal have a lot to play for, with Oleksandr Zinchenko not playing as well as he did last season, Takehiro Tomiyasu often out with an injury habit and Julien Timber out for a long time. They are looking for a more complete line-up and have a list of side-backs who also speak Spanish.
Meanwhile, Liverpool would like to bring in a long-term successor before Robertson turns 30 and begins to show the limits of his inexhaustible stamina up and down the pitch. The 28-year-old Spanish side-back would then not be eligible due to his age. Also, replacing him with the Greek defender is not a realistic option and he is likely to remain in the Bundesliga with Xabi Alonso.
Will the experienced side-back, whose reputation has grown rapidly this season, make the unexpected move…?