BENFICA star Alejandro Grimaldo is in talks over a move to the Premier League, according to reports.
Arsenal have previously been heavily linked with the 27-year-old but other clubs are now leading the race.
The Athletic claim that the player has held talks with Fulham and Nottingham Forest.
Meanwhile, French side Nice have made an attractive offer to him.
Spanish duo Real Sociedad and Valencia, as well as German pair Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen, are also in the battle to sign the ace.
Grimaldo’s contract at Benfica expires at the end of this season and he supposedly does not want to stay.
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The Spaniard came through the academy at Barcelona before moving to Lisbon in 2016.
He has since gone on to win three league titles and feature 291 times for Benfica.
The attacking left-back has played 42 games for the club this season, scoring five goals and registering a further 13 assists.
Grimaldo has helped Roger Schmidt’s men reach the quarter-final of the Champions League and lead Porto at the top of the Portuguese division by eight points.
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He has never been capped by Spain, but his good form has earned him a place amongst the side’s provisional squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Norway and Scotland later this month.
The player was reportedly offered to Arsenal in the summer but Mikel Arteta chose Oleksandr Zinchenko over him.
Grimaldo has also been a transfer target for Manchester City in the past.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk