Daniel Alves is not unsympathetic to a return to Barcelona, where he played eight successful seasons. The 38-year-old right-back left Sao Paulo in September over a salary dispute and went on to say he would not commit to any club until the end of the year, but the Brazilian is happy to make an exception for Barcelona.
“It would sound very opportunistic to say that Barcelona needs me now,” the veteran defender, who left the Camp Nou in 2016, told Sport. “I said that whenever Barcelona needed me and wanted me, I would always be open to a return no matter where I am. The sympathy, love and respect I have for this club is indescribable. if Barcelona think they need me, all they need to do is call me. if Barcelona think they need me, they should call me. I still think I can contribute to many clubs, but more at Barcelona because of the number of young players they have now.”
After his departure from Catalonia, Alves had successful periods at Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain. The departure from Sao Paulo came shortly after the Brazilian won the 43rd title in his career at the Tokyo Olympics. However, Alves does not think about stopping. “I’m always looking for a club that allows me to compete with the greats, fight for titles and be decisive wherever I am. I am not considering other options,” he says. “That’s why I chose Sevilla, Barcelona and all the places I’ve been. I want to bring a winning, fighting and conscious mentality wherever I play.”
Alves left Sao Paulo last month due to a wage dispute. The club would owe him 11 million reais, converted 1.8 million euros. It will become clear in the coming weeks whether Barcelona will accept the advances of the right-back. Barcelona a game with Valencia awaits on Sunday evening at 9 p.m. Ronald Koeman’s team is in a disappointing ninth place in LaLiga with twelve points from seven matches and also had a false start in the Champions League with defeats against Bayern Munich (0-3) and Benfica (3-0).
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