Could Barca sign Dani Alves AGAIN amid right-back crisis?
FT Desk
- 9 Oct 2022 13:52 BST
- 5 min read
Hector Bellerin is injured, Sergino Dest is out on loan at AC Milan having failed to impress, and now Dani Alves is back training at Barcelona...
Barcelona spent €150 million on Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Jules Kounde this summer, but right-back remains a problem position for the Catalan giants.
Dani Alves casts a long shadow at Camp Nou. The Brazilian won 26 major honours in his first spell at the club between 2008 and 2016, but the struggle to replace him saw him return as a 38-year-old from Sao Paulo last year.
He has since left for UNAM Pumas in Mexico, while Barca reportedly have a shortlist which includes Monaco's young Brazilian Vanderson as well as nascent Manchester United right-back Diogo Dalot.
And now he is back training at Camp Nou as he recovers from a mysterious injury. UNAM reported that Alves had damaged his cruciate ligament, but player himself claims he is simply trying to stay bfit to make Brazil's World Cup squad this winter.
Right back at Barca?
"Forever grateful for this house always having its doors open for me whatever it takes!" he posted on his Instagram. "The greats, when challenged, will never back down… They will fight, they will fight until the last second of their existence."
Alves' contract with Pumas runs until 30 June 2023, and Xavi has not made any public statement about his presence at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper, but Bellerin's injury could perhaps make a loan deal viable at Barca's end.
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Alves averaged nine progressive carries per game for Barca last season, and averaged three shot-creating actions per 90 minutes he played.
Kounde, a centre-back by trade, has started all three of his La Liga games at right-back this season, as has the now-injured Ronald Araujo, while the talented Alex Balde has even been tested on his less-favoured right-hand side in recent games.
Read more about: Liga Professional, Dani Alves
