“Barcelona has always been my home” - Alex Grimaldo refuses to close the door on dream Camp Nou return
Alex Grimaldo has confirmed he would love to return to Barcelona one day. The Benfica star has claimed Camp Nou will always be his home and that he will jump on the chance of a return.
Benfica signed Grimaldo from Barcelona in December 2015. The left-back moved for a reported €1.5 million and has since been linked with various clubs across Europe.
Grimaldo will be playing at Camp Nou this week as Barcelona take on Benfica in the Champions League. The defender was speaking to Mundo Deportivo when he was asked about the possibility of a return to the Catalan club.
"Barcelona has always been my home and I am not going to close my door," he said. "I will not deny it, I will always bring my heart. I grew up there and it has been one of the dreams I have had since I was little."
Commenting on the game this week, Grimaldo said:
"Yeah right. It was my illusion since I entered La Masia although now I will do it with another team."
However, the left-back has confirmed he will not celebrate a goal against his former side as he is proud of his time in La Masia.
"I lived in La Masía, I grew up there, I was educated there, I learned some values in life," he said. "I am very proud of my time at La Masia. I am not going to celebrate a goal."
Alex Grimaldo backs Xavi to 'change everything' at Barcelona
Xavi is set to take charge of his first Champions League game this week and Grimaldo has backed the new manager to turn things around at Barcelona.
"I think that the arrival of Xavi could change everything, he could return the confidence that maybe they had lost a little," he said. "Xavi will give more strength to the team. Also, he will contribute the same ideas as a coach that he had as a player. Barcelona will grow a lot during the year."
Xavi made a winning start to his Barcelona career with a 1-0 win over Espanyol in the Catalan derby. The Spanish side can seal their place in the next round of the Champions League this week with a win.