FC Barcelona announced on Tuesday that their Brazilian full back, Dani Alves, had extended his contract by two years to the end of the 2016-17 season, with the club retaining an option of a third.
Alves had been out of contract this summer and in recent days had been closely linked with moves away from the Catalan giants to Liverpool, Manchester United and AC Milan. Manchester United were the bookmakers favourite to land the Brazilian, before today’s announcement. The biggest hint at his departure was his seemingly emotional ‘farewell’ at the Nou Camp just a few days ago.
In his seven years at Barca he has won 19 trophies including five La Liga titles, three Copa Del Reys and three UEFA Champions League crowns. He has featured in two treble winning sides, with the side winning six trophies in 2009, winning the Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup in addition to the continental treble.
The 32 year old Alves holds the record for most appearances for Barcelona by a foreign player with 343 appearances. His decision to stay is significant as the club is currently serving a transfer ban meaning any new players to sign during this summer transfer window cannot play for the club until January 2016.
This ruling affects defender Aleix Vidal who arrived this week from Sevilla for £16million, who will have to wait until January make his debut for the Spanish Champions, so there was always risk in selling Alves without the opportunity to replace him immediately.
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