Dani Alves Talks Rejecting Manchester City, Joined PSG 'To Be a Champion'
Dani Alves has said he is "sorry" if he has offended Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola by opting to join Paris Saint-Germain, suggesting he has moved to the French capital "to be a champion."
The French giants announced the capture of the former Juventus man on their Twitter account on Wednesday:
Speaking at his unveiling, Alves was asked about the links to City and his reasons for opting for a switch to the Parc des Princes.
"There's a very interesting project in Paris," he said, per Chris Wheeler of MailOnline. "I have friends here, I'm a man who loves challenges. If [Guardiola] and Manchester City feel hurt, I am sorry. I have come here to be a champion."
"PSG have been flirting with me for a long time, for three years, and now we are married," he continued.
As noted below, the 34-year-old will be surrounded by fellow Brazil internationals in the French capital:
City were strongly linked with a move for the former Barcelona player, although as noted in the initial report, he has opted to sign a two-year deal with PSG worth around £230,000-a-week.
According to Sam Lee of Goal, Guardiola, who worked with Alves at the Camp Nou, has been left "livid" by the rejection.
The effervescent full-back left Juventus after one stellar campaign. Alves struggled to begin with in Turin, with injuries preventing him from building any form. However, during the key months of the campaign, he was inspirational.
Despite his advancing years, Alves is still a one-man right side at times. Whether it's as a full-back or a wing-back, he is so dangerous when raiding forward, timing his surges expertly and leaving opposition wingers with a lot of defending to do.
Throughout his career, Alves has always showcased exceptional composure in these advanced positions, per WhoScored.com:
Given City currently don't have a right-back in their senior squad, so missing out on a player of Alves' pedigree will be a massive blow.
The Etihad Stadium outfit will have to turn to other targets now, with the Premier League opening day creeping closer and closer.
According to Tom Collomosse of the Evening Standard, City are interested in signing Kyle Walker from Tottenham Hotspur, although he will reportedly cost as much as £50 million.
