“Every effort should have been made to keep them” - Dani Alves slams Barcelona’s decision to let Lionel Messi and Neymar move to PSG
Dani Alves has claimed Barcelona should have done more to keep hold of Lionel Messi and Neymar. The Brazilian added the Catalan club are on a decline and the exit of their two best players was the lowest point.
Neymar joined PSG after the Ligue1 side activated his €222 million release clause back in 2017. The Brazilian was joined by Lionel Messi this summer after Barcelona failed to renew his contract due to LaLiga financial rules.
Dani Alves was speaking to Sport when he called out Barcelona's management for not doing enough to keep Neymar and Lionel Messi at the club. The former right-back feels the duo should have been the club's top priority, but the board failed to do the basics right. He said:
"I do not want to put my finger on the sore spot, but Barça has been losing much more than this, which is already the end of the absurd. Every effort should have been made to keep them here.
'Many times it is not only a question of football but of the respect you have for everything they have given you. Everything has been wearing out. But you need to feel loved and when that is not the case, you start to think about other things."
Davi Alves ready to return to Barcelona
Dani Alves has gone on to open the door for Barcelona once again. The Brazilian claims he is ready to return to Camp Nou if the club wants him. He has openly revealed he is just one call away.
"It would be taking advantage a bit to say now Barça need me. I always said I left because I saw things weren't how I thought they should be. You don't want to see everything that happened before my exit. I left saying that when Barça needed and wanted me I would return regardless of where I was. There's too much love, respect and care I have for this home. If Barca think they need me all they need to do is call."
Dani Alves joined Sao Paulo in 2019. But his contract was recently terminated with the club. This was because in September 2021, Alves failed to return to the club after his duty with Brazil citing the debt Sao Paulo owed him.
On the other hand, Barcelona face Dynamo Kyiv this week in the Champions League before taking on Real Madrid in La Liga over the weekend.