Jordi Alba is in the picture to succeed Álex Grimaldo at Benfica, who has left for Bayer Leverkusen. The 34-year-old Spaniard recently announced his retirement from Barcelona after playing for the club for 11 years. The possible transfer from Alba to the champion of Portugal could have negative consequences for Milos Kerkez from AZ.
Atlético Madrid, Internazionale and Benfica aces next Sports world on Alba’s signature. The left back, with 459 appearances for Barcelona in his legs, is keen to continue his career abroad and thus seems to favor both Internazionale and Benfica. Roger Schmidt’s club will soon say goodbye to Grimaldo, who will leave for Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer. Grimaldo came over from Barcelona in 2016. This allows Alba to follow the same route as his compatriot.
The possible arrival of Alba will also mean that Kerkez can probably put an end to his transfer. The nineteen-year-old left-back has not only put himself into the Hungarian national team this season, but also in the spotlight of several European top clubs. Kerkez only missed one league match for AZ this season and proved to have exceptional qualities several times.
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Kerkez is not the only player from the Eredivisie who is interested in Benfica, because in addition to teammate Vangelis Pavlidis, Orkun Kökcü from Feyenoord is also in the picture. Kerkez still has a contract until mid-2026 in Alkmaar, which means that AZ can bet quite high. If Benfica manages to sign Alba for next season, there is little chance that the Portuguese will knock on the door in Alkmaar for the left back.
