'I have been trying to lure Neymar to Barcelona for ages' - Dani Alves

18-Feb-2013 11:20:00 PM

The Brazilian attacker has long been linked with a move to Camp Nou, and his compatriot has been attempting to convince him to make the switch

Barcelona right-back Dani Alves has revealed that he has been trying to persuade Santos striker Neymar to join the Spanish club "for ages".

As exclusively revealed by Goal.com in January, the Blaugrana have told the former Sevilla star to convince him that his future lies in Catalunya, and the 29-year-old has duly obliged.

"I've been at it for ages," Alves told FIFA.com. "When the rumours of him making a move to Europe started I told him he should come to Barcelona.

"They're more than a club. "The motto says it all: they look after you, they pamper you and they always treat you and your family well.

"Look, they have got values that virtually no other club has, and that's what makes them unique.

"Everyone says you can't compete with Barcelona, but if you go to the club, you'll see that they work from the bottom up and that's why we've got all these great players.

"If you look at the signings they make, they just buy what they need. The rest of the players are all from the youth set-up. They made a commitment to it and the results are there."