Barcelona have reportedly added Alex Grimaldo to their list of left-back targets.
The Blaugrana are thought to be planning for life without Jordi Alba and had supposedly identified Valencia's Jose Gaya as their first-choice replacement for the Spaniard.
However, there have been suggestions that Gaya instead wants to be a one-club man for Valencia during his playing career, forcing Barcelona to look elsewhere in their search for Alba's successor.
A move for wantaway Ajax defender Nicolas Tagliafico has been mooted, but Fichajes now claims that former youth team prospect Grimaldo is also on the list.
The 26-year-old spent eight years in the Barcelona setup between 2008 and 2016 but left without making a single appearance for the first team, despite playing 92 matches for the B team.
Grimaldo has since registered 17 goals and 48 assists in 236 matches for Benfica, winning three Primeira Liga titles and one Taca de Portugal during his time with As Aguias.
Furthermore, Barcelona could be tempted by the prospect of a cut-price deal, as the former Spain Under-21 international's contract at the Estadio da Luz expires in the summer of 2023.
Ben Knapton
