Manchester City are reportedly on the verge of signing former Barcelona defender Dani Alves from Juventus as Pep Guardiola is keen on a reunion.
According to a report by The Mirror, Manchester City are keen on signing Dani Alves this summer after Juventus have agreed to release him from his contract. The Citizens are keen to improve in the upcoming season after finishing 15 points behind Premier League champions Chelsea.
Although City have already landed Bernardo Silva and goalkeeper Ederson for a combined £78 million, Dani Alves appears to be the next target on their list.
The Brazilian signed a two-year deal with Juventus last summer with the option of a third year, and while many thought he was winding down his career after his spell at the Nou Camp, he proved everybody wrong by establishing himself as a key member of Massimiliano Allegri’s squad.
Alves has only been with Juventus for a year and has won the Serie-A title and narrowly missed out on the Champions League trophy. Despite an emphatic performance to outclass Barcelona in the semi-final, Juventus failed to make a stronger impact against Real Madrid.
The 34-year-old Brazilian formed a key aspect in the Juventus’ impregnable defence last season which saw them rack up several accolades and also come close to winning the elusive Champions League Trophy after a gap of more than two decades.
Nevertheless, Alves was praised for his stoic defensive performances for the Italian champions.
Prior to the spell with Juventus, he spent eight seasons at Barcelona. The first four of those were under Pep Guardiola and that was a period when the pair shared two Champions League triumphs and won the La Liga on three occasions.
Clearly, they share a good rapport and the fact that Alves is on the look-out for an exit from Juventus can only mean that Guardiola will be pleased since the club requires quality defenders. They do not have an experienced right-back after releasing out-of-contract duo Pablo Zabaleta and Bacary Sagna.
Although Alves is expected to sign a two-year deal with City, Guardiola’s pursuit of Tottenham’s Kyle Walker is still being pursued since Guardiola is likely to see Walker as his first-choice at right-back, while Alves can provide some competition for the England international and offer the necessary back-up.
