Barcelona’s Dani Alves set to leave club this summer

Long-serving defender Dani Alves will be leaving Barcelona this summer after eight years with the club

FC Barcelona have announced that Brazilian fullback Dani Alves will be departing the club this summer with several top clubs rumored as possible destinations. The move is seen as part of the revitalization of the squad after the La Liga champions faded across competitions late in the season.

The average age of the squad is a concern and replacing the 33-year-old fullback with a younger player should certainly help that. At his peak, Alves was among the best in the world at his position and had a tremendous rapport with Lionel Messi. Deployed as a defender, Alves was equally as dangerous in attack and many a Barcelona goal was scored at the end of one of his pinpoint crosses.

This move comes as no surprise as it was hinted at all season long but it is still the departure of a tremendous player for the club. At 33, Alves still believes he has something left in the tank and has been linked with moves to Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.

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A move to Juve revitalized the career of a fellow veteran fullback in Patrice Evra and could do the same for Alves as he winds down his career. Italy however is notorious for racist fans and Alves may not want to deal with that yet again as he has been the target of abuse in the past.

PSG is also another intriguing choice as it could virtually guarantee more silverware for the Brazilian and give him a chance to cash in further before he hangs up his boots for good. A romp through Ligue 1 presents an easy chance for another trophy in his already full cabinet.

Alves joined Barcelona in 2008 for £23 million after spending six years with Sevilla and became a regular straight away. He was a member of Barca’s golden generation and has won more than 20 trophies with the club including six La Liga titles and three Champions League titles.

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Now the question for Barcelona will be who do they replace the dynamic Brazilian with. Barca signed right back Aleix Vidal for €18 million, also from Sevilla, in June of 2015. The 22-year-old only made 14 appearances this season but should play a much bigger role with the departure of Alves.

Vidal is a highly rated youngster that is beginning to receive attention from the Spain national team and received his first call up in May 2015. He obviously does not have the experience of Alves but he most certainly has the talent to impact the squad.

Barca also have a versatile youngster in Sergi Roberto who they can deploy in the right back position.  Roberto played all over the midfield and at both fullback positions for the Blaugrana and is the type of utility player that most managers dream of having.

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Replacing a legend is no easy task and Dani Alves was one of the greats at his position when in his prime. If any club can replace him however it is Barcelona with either a highly touted academy graduate like Roberto or a transfer like Vidal.