Chelsea FC are considering an offer for Juventus star Dani Alves after his stellar displays in the Champions League semifinal ties against Monaco.
Chelsea FC manager Antonio Conte will be searching frantically this summer for wing-backs as they have very little cover in that department.
And to solve that, the Blues are looking at Dani Alves as a potential candidate for the job according to the Daily Mirror.
Alves, 34, is not a good long-term option for the Blues but he would provide Chelsea FC with some class and technical ability for their upcoming Champions League campaign next season.
Currently, their only option at right-back is Victor Moses and there is very little competition for his place.
More from Playing for 90
- Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
- Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
- Barcelona put five past Real Betis
- Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
- Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory
Alves has had a stunning campaign for Juventus, helping them to all but winning the Serie A and he effectively won the semi final tie against Monaco for Juventus single-handedly.
The Brazilian right-back assisted three goals and scored a stunning volley to help Juventus to the Champions League final.
It’s hard to think how and why Barcelona let Alves go on a free transfer last year.
Alves still has plenty left in the tank and he was constantly running up and down the pitch throughout the two ties against Monaco.
He has also done that throughout the season in the Serie A and has surpassed most people’s expectations.
Alves has made a total of 16 appearances in the Serie A including three from the bench. He’s scored two and made two goals helping him to a decent 7.32 Whoscored rating.
While, in the Champions League, he’s scored three goals and assisted four after 11 appearances gaining him an even higher 7.82 whoscored rating.
It’s his Champions League form that would’ve put Chelsea and manager Antonio Conte under high alert.
Defensively, he’s also been solid with an average of 2.9 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game in the Champions League.
The guy is probably still one of the best fullbacks in the world despite his age and Barcelona must be kicking themselves for letting him go so unceremoniously in 2016.
So what does this mean for Chelsea FC fans? Not much probably. Right now, it’s normal for top clubs being linked to him given his great form on such a worldwide stage that is the Champions League. Chelsea don’t have many options at right-back and there are doubts that first-team player Victor Moses will be equipped to deal with top attacking players in the Champions League. And even if Moses is good enough, Chelsea still need cover in that position as it would be crazy to rely on Moses to play in every game in the Premier League and Champions League.
Alves makes sense for me. Yes he’s old, but he clearly still has a lot of quality that any top team would want and Chelsea are in dire need for a top wing-back. Additionally, Chelsea’s system of playing two attacking wing-backs with Matic and Kante anchoring the midfield suits Alves perfectly. Alves would be an ideal wing-back for Chelsea given that there’s always been doubts over his defensive abilities. At Chelsea, he wouldn’t be as exposed as they have a guy called N’Golo Kante who can do the running for two or three players.
While, it’s hard to predict what the fee would be, he would most certainly be available at a reasonable price. He only has one more year left on his contract at Juventus.
Next: Chelsea have a decision to make about Pedro
The question remains though as to whether Juventus would want to get rid of him after such a good season for them. Also, does Alves want to end his career playing in the Premier League? At his age, he may be suited better playing in the Serie A given the slower pace of the game compared to the Premier League.
At the moment it’s nothing more than speculation but Alves would be a perfect acquisition for Chelsea and Antonio Conte.