Daniel Alves enters contract talks with Barcelona
Barcelona right-back Daniel Alves da Silva today revealed that he has entered into discussions with the club to extend his stay at the Camp Nou.
Speculation had been rife that Barcelona were set to offer Alves a long-term contract and, while initial discussions were held while Joan Laporta was president, he told radio show Cadena COPE that firm talks have started with his employers and new president Sandro Rosell over a new deal.
Alves added that he was hopeful the talks would prove fruitful as he is eager to stay with the Catalan giants. He said that: “It is true that there has been an approach by the club to take up the issue, one that started before the old directive left, but now this has changed and I will agree to it, because I am very happy here.”
The 27-year-old Brazil international has two years left to run on his current deal after he arrived in the summer of 2008 from fellow La Liga side Sevilla for a fee of 34 million euros. During his time at the Camp Nou, he has won back-to-back La Liga titles and was part of the team which won six trophies — including the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup — in 2009.
With Manchester City having a strong interest in the defender, Rosell is reportedly looking to thwart any bid by the English Premier League big-spenders by handing Alves a three or four-year extension.
Meanwhile, Alves also took the opportunity to say that he has no bad feelings towards Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who departed Barcelona for Serie A giants AC Milan last month He said that: "I never had anything against him, or against any other player. We should not try to blame. Ibrahimovic is the best, but he was not embedded in the shape of Barcelona."
Tags: