Barcelona veteran’s continuity depends on the arrival of Chelsea legend

According to SPORT’s Ferran Correas, the future of Barcelona defender Dani Alves will depend on whether the club can sign Cesar Azpilicueta from Chelsea this summer.

Alves returned to Barcelona in November last year, five years after leaving the club as a free agent in 2016. The 39-year-old had to wait until January to make his second debut for the Blaugrana and made a good impression in the second half of the season.

Despite his advanced years, Alves managed to displace Sergino Dest and become Xavi’s preferred option at right-back, finishing with a goal and three assists from 16 games in all competitions.

However, Alves’ contract with Barça stands to expire at the end of this month. While it had been initially reported that the Blaugrana would extend the veteran star’s deal until the end of the year, plans seem to have changed now.

Barcelona have extended the contract of Sergi Roberto by another year while Sergino Dest is unlikely to leave the club either. But, the Catalans are intent on signing Cesar Azpilicueta from Chelsea and if they are successful in doing so, the club are unlikely to persist with Alves.

Azpilicueta is held in very high regard by Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez due to the versatility, leadership and experience he would bring to the table. He is seen as the priority in the right-back position for the summer.

However, signing him has gotten complicated due to the situation at Chelsea. Azpilcueta triggered a one-year contract extension clause in his deal, which means he is now tied down at Stamford Bridge until 2023.

While he is keen on joining Barcelona and has a contract agreement with the club, the new owners at Chelsea are reluctant to let the veteran defender leave after having seen Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger depart.

So, Barça will have to reach an agreement with Chelsea over a transfer fee to sign the Spaniard. In case they are unable to do that, Alves could see his contract getting extended, even if it is on a short-term basis.