Gutierrez’s reported fee exceeds even Grimaldo’s maximum sale package

Bayer Leverkusen confirmed Miguel Gutiérrez’s arrival from Napoli on 5 August 2026. The club’s own announcement says he signed through 30 June 2031 and would wear the number three shirt. Get German Football News identifies him as Alejandro Grimaldo’s replacement after the latter’s move to Atlético Madrid; its financial estimates are distinct from the club-confirmed terms.

GGFN put the guaranteed Gutiérrez transfer fee at approximately €26m, with bonuses capable of raising it to around €30m. It gave Grimaldo’s sale as an initial €22m, rising to €25m. These figures concern reported transfer consideration, and do not describe wages, agent charges, accounting profit or the dates on which money changes hands.

Almost Signed analysis: even the reported maximum Grimaldo proceeds fall below the guaranteed Gutiérrez fee. On those estimates, the exchange cannot be described as financing the replacement entirely through Grimaldo’s sale, regardless of whether the outgoing add-ons are achieved. This is a comparison of the quoted packages, not evidence that Leverkusen lacked funds or that the move was unaffordable.

The sporting continuity is more directly supported: the report quotes Simon Rolfes identifying Gutiérrez as the preferred player for the position and says Leverkusen had considered him before Grimaldo actually departed. That establishes the club’s stated recruitment rationale. It does not establish that the new left-back will reproduce Grimaldo’s output or justify the price through any particular future performance.