Dani Alves says “it is not possible” that he will bring the curtain down on his illustrious career without taking in a spell in the Premier League.
The Brazilian full-back has come close to making a switch in the past, with Chelsea having sought to acquire his services during Jose Mourinho’s first spell at Stamford Bridge.
Pep Guardiola then attempted to put a reunion in place with his former Barcelona charge at Manchester City in the summer of 2017, only to see Alves head to Paris Saint-Germain.
At 35 years of age, the clock is ticking on a potential move to England, but an iconic figure of the modern era still hopes to take on such a challenge before hanging up his boots.
“The idea that I might finish my career without going to the Premier League, it is not possible,” Alves told The Telegraph.
“For sure, this is the most amazing football in the world. First, because of the respect for the players from the fans, and then because of the passion on the pitch.
“If I can play, that would be perfect, but I will make it there one way or the other.”
Alves admits he found it difficult to shun Guardiola’s advances as he prepared to head for the exits at Juventus, with the pair having previously enjoyed considerable success together at Camp Nou – even if their relationship in Catalunya ended on a sour note.
He added: “We had some ups and downs in our relationship and, just before he left [in 2012], he said something that really hurt me.
“But he phoned me to talk about it and we had a very special talk. And I like people that are able to say they need to be forgiven and to ask for forgiveness.
“So turning him down was painful. In football terms, he was one of the most amazing people I have known, completely obsessed with his work, but how he treated people was special, especially me.”
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For now, Alves’ focus is locked on events at PSG, with the dominant force in Ligue 1 looking for sizeable investment in the transfer market to deliver tangible reward in Champions League competition.
“At other clubs I have been, at Juventus, at Barca, we had two ‘ships’, one for the domestic league, and another for the Champions League,” said Alves.
“Not many teams have better players than PSG, but they need to understand the competition they are playing in.
“They are very comfortable in the French league, but they need to raise themselves for games against the biggest clubs.”
PSG are yet to drop a point in Ligue 1 this season through 13 games, but they have claimed just one win from four European outings and are sweating on progress to the last-16.
