Alex Grimaldo in line for return to Spain squad as Luis de la Fuente searches for Alejandro Balde replacement | OneFootball

On Friday, Luis de la Fuente will announce his Spain squad for the UEFA Nations League finals, which are taking place later this month.

La Roja take on Italy in the semi-finals (15/06), and should they defeat the Azzurri, they would face either Croatia or the Netherlands in the final a few days later.

Unfortunately for de la Fuente, he will have to do without Alejandro Balde, with the Barcelona youngster having been ruled out for two months after suffering an ankle injury against Mallorca on Sunday.

Jose Gaya is expected to retain his place in the squad, but who will join him remains to be seen. MD have reported that Alex Grimaldo is one of the options that de la Fuente is considering for selection.

Grimaldo, who will join Bayer Leverkusen in the summer, has had an excellent season for Benfica, posting numbers that even surpassed Balde and Gaya.

It remains to be seen whether Grimaldo is selected by de la Fuente, but he certainly deserves to be in the conversation. He can certainly push Gaya to be first-choice, as Spain target Nations League success this month.