Agent Of Brazilian International Flies In For Man Utd Talks

The January transfer window is now closed but that won’t stop the newspapers from speculating ahead of the summer so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, Manchester United are linked with Barcelona’s Dani Alves….

The agent of Barcelona star Dani Alves is set to fly-in to England to hold face-to-face talks with Manchester United ahead of a potential free transfer move this summer, according to reports.

Alves has been at Barca since moving to the Nou Camp from Sevilla in 2008 and has been widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in world football over the past seven years.

The Brazilian international has been a mainstay in the Catalans defence, helping them to numerous honours including 4 La Liga titles, 2 Copa del Rey’s and 2 Champions League trophies.

However, the 31-year-old is out-of-contract at the end of the season and so far Barcelona have failed to open talks over an extension, leading to intense speculation he could be set to end his time at the club.

Alves’s agent, Dinorah Santana, admitted last week that they interpret Barca’s silence to mean they don’t want to retain his services so they’ll start looking for a new club.

“I interpret that silence to mean they don’t want Dani Alves, so we will begin searching for a new club.”

“We won’t wait for Barcelona, they have to take the plunge.” Santana is quoted as saying by the Express

Understandably, there is plenty of interest in his signature from clubs throughout Europe but it seems Alves could be heading for the Premier League as the Express claim that the players representative is set to fly over to Manchester to hold talks with United over a potential free transfer move this summer.

The newspaper suggests that Santana is keen to hear what United are willing to offer his client, although it’s understood Alves is demanding a three-year contract.

While Louis van Gaal is believed to be keen to bring the Brazilian to Old Trafford, it remains to be seen whether the United money-men would sanction such a lucrative contract for a player who turns 32 in May.

Alves is one of the most attack-minded full-backs in world football so he’d certainly fit in well to van Gaal’s 3-4-1-2 formation but there would be concerns over his defensive abilities in a flat back four – which the Dutch boss has reverted to in recent games.

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The defender will be one of the most sought-after players this summer if he is allowed to run down his contract but I have a feeling his agent may be using the media to try and convince Barcelona to open talks over a contract.

However, there’s no guarantee they’ll find an agreement even if they do, so there’s still a strong possibility Alves could be looking for a new club this summer and it appears United are in the running…