Football Presse

Levante terminate contract of academy graduate Xavi Grande

·By Carlos Volcano
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Levante have terminated Xavi Grande's contract, making the academy graduate a free agent after failing to find him a loan move away from the club this summer.

The 21-year-old right-back, who had two years still to run on a contract due to expire in 2028, is now free to sign for any club having agreed to tear up his deal with the market closed.

Levante had spent the summer trying to arrange a loan for the Buñol-born defender rather than an outright departure, but no agreement could ultimately be reached on that basis.

Sporting director Héctor Rodas confirmed the situation at a press conference, explaining that the initiative to find Grande a new challenge had come from the coaching staff.

"The manager wanted to see him go out, and it was passed on to his agent to look for a way out, above all a loan to get more experience," Rodas said.

"We worked on it, but we couldn't reach an agreement, and he'll probably leave the club."

A permanent departure via termination was ultimately the route both parties settled on.

Grande joined Levante's academy at the youngest age bracket and worked his way through the ranks to make his first-team debut in 2023, going on to become a full member of the squad that won promotion to the top flight in May 2025. Last season he was sent out on loan to Portugal's CS MarĂ­timo, making 26 appearances and helping the club secure promotion to the Primeira Liga.

His next destination looks likely to keep him in Portugal, with reports linking him strongly to Académica Coimbra after he completed the entirety of pre-season under head coach Luís Castro.

Levante's firm commitment to Nacho Pérez as their first-choice right-back left Grande facing a fresh direction regardless of the exact route away from the club, and his release brings an end to a spell that began in the club's youngest academy category and took him all the way to senior football.

Levante themselves are currently adjusting to life back in the top flight following their promotion, and the decision to let a homegrown full-back leave for free reflects the broader squad-planning choices clubs at that level often have to make between giving academy graduates first-team opportunities and bringing in more experienced options to compete immediately.

For Grande, a return to the Portuguese top flight would continue a pattern established during his loan spell at MarĂ­timo, where regular football helped rebuild his career following limited opportunities at Levante.