Dani Alves' Contract Comments Could Mean Trouble for Barcelona

Dani Alves is not a happy footballer. With his contract running out and potential suitors lining up, the Brazilian right-back has hit out at his club, FC Barcelona, with the season's two biggest matches still to come.

And with a transfer ban in place, the comments could spell trouble for Barcelona, who would be best served to keep Alves happy.

Speaking about his future in a press conference on Monday, here's what Alves said, per Euclides Montes at the Guardian:

"

I may have two feet in the team but I’ve also got one foot, my body and nearly my head out of the club. I would like to stay here but not at any price. Not only in terms of money but in terms of respect. If I’m not shown that respect, I’ll go to another club.

"

Lack of respect? One foot and his body—at least—out the door? Those are some seriously sharp words, coming from a footballer speaking about his current employer. 

But wait, there's more. From Reuters (via BBC Sport):

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From 7 June I'll announce my future. Now, the future is about playing in two finals. My intention was not to speak, but I haven't been respected with a lot of silly things. It's gone too far. I don't want anybody to influence my decisions. My future only depends on me.

"

So in other words, Alves is angry. Very angry. Based on his comments, the 32-year-old Brazilian feels disrespected by the club's most recent contract proposal, a three-year deal that was reported as being Barcelona's final offer (via ESPN FC). And after the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League finals, he could be gone.

At this point, it should be noted that Monday's outburst might be little more than posturing on Alves' part. He is out of contract at the end of the month, and he is angling for the terms deal possible with his next deal.

This much, however, is certain: Alves is in a position of power. What's more, he apparently recognizes it.

Manu Fernandez/Associated Press

Last December, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld a transfer ban against Barcelona (original .pdf document here), following an appeal by the club. The original moratorium on new signings stemmed from international transfers of minors, per FIFA.com.

The ruling meant that, by law, Barcelona cannot sign new players in 2015 (although a loophole means they can actually sign players without registering them until 2016 for playing duty). This is where Alves holds the upper hand. Quite simply, Alves is better than any other right-back option that Barcelona currently have on their roster. For the club, there are no alternatives, but for Alves, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain are interested, at least according to Metro (though it should be noted that Alves appeared to rule out PSG once and for all with his comments on Monday).

Last week, B/R's Jason Pettigrove wrote that re-signing Alves would be "as good as a world-class signing" for Barcelona. Pettrigrove noted:

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Martin Montoya just doesn't have the right ingredients for the position at this point, and per WhoScored.com, Douglas only has played for 73 minutes in the entire season, which says much about how highly he is valued.

Although age will eventually catch up with the Brazilian there really is no one better for the position at this juncture. Take him out of the equation and then there will be a settling-in period for his replacement, which Barca can ill afford.

…

And how many other supposed "world class" full-backs are there available that can almost instantly adopt the Barcelona way of playing?

"

At 32, Alves is still world class, or at least very close to it. More importantly in this situation, he's the best option for Barcelona at right-back. Under usual circumstances, his age would count as a strike against him in contract negotiations, but these are not normal times for Barcelona.

In this situation, Alves holds all the power. Barcelona cannot sign new players, and Alves is superior to any of the alternatives currently on the roster. The player must know this, and for that reason, he is probably asking for more with his next contract—whether it's in money or years—than he would otherwise. 

Even so, Barcelona would be wise to keep Alves happy.

Follow @MiguelCominguez