Dani Alves ruthlessly released by Barcelona while on holiday
Karan Tejwani
- 16 Jun 2022 14:21 BST
- 3 min read
Dani Alves second stint at Barcelona came to an end yesterday after the club decided to release the Brazilian, having spent almost six months there.
Alves returned to the club in January as Xavi’s first signing as Barcelona manager, and had an important role in the squad, making 17 appearances in the second half of the season.
However, he was released yesterday, despite Alves’ wish to continue playing there in order to keep his fitness up ahead of the World Cup, with the player was eager to play in.
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Alves wanted one last conversation with Barcelona
Barcelona, though, had other plans for the transfer window and who they wanted to fill up the right-back position this summer, with other players linked.
Sadly for Alves, he found out about his departure from Barcelona whilst on holiday, having played for Brazil in their most recent set of matches, according to Spanish outlet Sport.
The report also said that Alves was holding out for one last conversation with the club over his future, and that he would agree to leaving the club after the World Cup was complete this winter.
Alves now has to find a new club to play ahead of the World Cup in order to keep up his fitness and his chances of making it to the Brazil squad for the tournament in Qatar.
Ig Alves: "Dear Culés,
It's time for us to say goodbye.
It was more than 8 years dedicated to this club, to these colours and to this home, but like everything in life, years go by, roads divert and stories are written for some time in different places and so it was." [danialves] pic.twitter.com/33TBGCqddA— barcacentre (@barcacentre) June 15, 2022
There was some confusion over the decision to axe Alves – the club are in a dire financial condition and can’t afford to sign a player, and the Brazilian generally performed well whilst accepting low wages.
It’s widely believed that the Blaugrana’s decision to let Alves go was down to the fact that he was taking up a spot as one of their non-EU players, and that they may sign someone else instead.
Barcelona are keen to sign Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta, but a move may be difficult due to their financial condition and the Blues' desire to keep him at Stamford Bridge for next season.
Other than that, Barcelona have players like Sergino Dest and Sergi Roberto, who they only recently extended to ensure they have depth in that position.
