
“Alejandro Grimaldo is a versatile, very skilful left-back with great technical experience. He is capable of scoring and has a lot of experience and quality,” said Bayer 04 sporting managing director Simon Rolfes about the regular starter for the potential Portuguese champions Benfica “We are happy we were able to convince Alejandro of our ambitious plans for the years ahead.”

For the two-time U21 international Grimaldo, the move from Portugal to Germany is “an exciting challenge. I’ve played for a top European club for seven years,” said the 1.71 metre left footer, “but now I’m attracted by the idea of showing my strengths in the Bundesliga as well. For me, it is one of the best leagues in Europe and is definitely unique in terms of the set-up and atmosphere at the stadiums. I’m very proud that a Bundesliga club like Bayer 04 has come in for me,” added Grimaldo. “I’m sure we will have a fantastic time together.”

The Werkself are away to Hamburg SV at the end of the Hinrunde in the 2025/26 Bundesliga campaign. The match at the newly promoted club is on Tuesday night, 13 January (kick-off: 20:30 CET). Ahead of the first encounter with HSV since 2018, Kasper Hjulmand spoke about the strengths of the opponents, lessons learnt from the home defeat against VfB Stuttgart and provided a squad update.
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In Germany, the temperatures are currently around zero, leaving even professional footballers freezing - but not the Bayer 04 Women. Roberto Pätzold's team have fled the cold to the south and are preparing for the second half of the season at a training camp in the Algarve, almost 2,000 kilometres away from home as the crow flies. The Leverkusen squad landed in Faro on Saturday morning and have already completed the first three training sessions over the weekend.
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It was a disappointing Saturday night. The Werkself lost 4-1 to VfB Stuttgart to start the new year on Bundesliga matchday 16 in 2025/26, a result that left both players and fans disappointed. "We played without any passion," said Alejandro Grimaldo honestly afterwards. Teammate Jarell Quansah was even more self-critical, emphasising: "We were miles off it in the first half. You can't put in a performance like that, especially in front of our own fans and I can only apologise to them, to be honest." Read on for the reaction, facts and stats from the clash with VfB Stuttgart in the Werkself review.
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Women’s team forward Paulina Bartz is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to play for Hamburg SV until the end of the season. The 20-year-old, whose contract runs to 2027, joins the Bundesliga newcomers on loan until the summer.
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