Dani Alves signed for Paris Saint-Germain this week, bringing what seemed like the perfect relationship to an abrupt end. The Brazilian signed for Juventus last summer with a point to prove after leaving Barcelona, albeit after eight trophy-laden years, with a sour taste in his mouth.
“You’ll miss me,” the 34-year-old said as he walked out of his final meeting with the Blaugrana hierarchy, and they did miss him. In fact, they are only now on the verge of replacing him with Benfica’s Nelson Semedo.
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Alves had a tough last campaign at the Camp Nou, but reinvigorated his career in Turin, playing a vital role in helping Juve to a domestic double and he came within a whisker of lifting a fourth Champions League crown.
But he leaves Serie A under another cloud after his contract was terminated by mutual consent. While he heads to Paris after turning his back on Manchester City because, in his words, he is a champion, the Bianconeri must look to replace him quickly.
Here are five possible options Maximiliano Allegri could look to.
#1 Mattia De Sciglio
A deal that had looked set for completion earlier in the summer, Milan’s talented full back would be ideal in so many ways. No one has defined the attacking side of playing at right-back like Alves in the modern era, but that is De Sciglio’s strong point too, mainly because of his blistering pace.
Milan’s consistent spending this summer, which could culminate in the Rossoneri signing Juve defender Leonardo Bonucci, is likely to see them challenging for the Scudetto next season.
The birth of a new rivalry would make any deals involving De Sciglio and Bonucci all the more interesting; despite his undoubted talent, the latter may actually find first team football easier to come by at the Juventus Stadium, rather than the San Siro, after Atalanta’s Andrea Conti moved to Milan for £21million.
It is easy to forget how young De Sciglio is still, given how long he has been around in the red and black of Milan, but the 24-year-old would be a realistically priced option and an able, if not spectacular, successor to Alves.
#2 Djibril Sidibe
Extremely highly rated, but perhaps getting lost in the noise, Djibril Sidibe certainly fits the bill for Juve. Monaco’s class of 2017 will be remembered for many years, after winning the Ligue 1 title and reaching the Champions League semi finals, where they were halted by Allegri’s men.
What made this team so special was not only how young the spine was, but the fact most had come through the academy, including Sidibe. The 24-year-old may not be receiving the same adulation as teammates Thomas Lemar and Kylian Mbappe, but he played a vital role.
Both Monaco and Juve’s systems showed the importance of the fullback in the modern game, and Sidibe was always on hand to provide width for Leonardo Jardim, alongside Benjamin Mendy on the other flank, whenever Lemar or Bernardo Silva dropped inside.
It was a very similar story for Juve, when Alves would move up the pitch to support Paulo Dybala, so you’d expect Sidibe to make the seamless transition if he did move to Italy.
#3 Matteo Darmian
Like De Sciglio, Darmian is a viable option this summer. Highly rated in the aftermath of the 2014 World Cup where he shone in a poor Italy side, he made the switch to Manchester United from Juve’s city rivals Torino a year later. After impressing initially under Louis van Gaal, Darmian appears to have fallen victim of Jose Mourinho’s reign at Old Trafford.
Mourinho has overlooked Darmian in favour of Antonio Valencia, restricting the 27-year-old to just 18 Premier League appearances last season. The Red Devils appear to be moving on from Darmian, and it looks increasingly likely he will be sold at a decent price in the coming weeks.
Would Darmian represent an upgrade on Dani Alves? Almost certainly not, but there would be minimal fuss if he were to return to Turin. At the very least, Darmian would provide good value for money.
#4 Hector Bellerin
Probably the most audacious name on the list, the Arsenal fullback would also be the best possible replacement for Alves. Luring him from the Emirates Stadium has always proven a tough task, mainly because of his commitment to Arsene Wenger, but he may be more attainable than ever at this moment in time.
Juve have been linked with him before this summer and there is a certain level of irony about that. Barcelona, the club he grew up at before leaving for North London as a 16-year-old. Now 22, Bellerin had been speculated as the ideal Alves replacement at the Camp Nou, but he could fill that role at Juve instead.
A lack of Champions League football for the first time in over 20 years will hinder the Gunners when it comes to keeping their star names. Bellerin is fast becoming one of Europe’s best fullbacks. Pace is his main asset, but he is much more defensively adept than Alves.
The usual unwavering commitment which has previously met questions over his future has been noticeably absent this summer, and if he is indeed open to a move away from Arsenal, Juve should be prepared to spend big to test their resolve, especially with Semedo set for a move to Catalunya.
#5 Danilo
As far as like for like goes, Danilo is probably the most similar option to Alves around. The Brazilian has gone up against the outgoing defender for international caps, and he shares his love for attacking. Like Alves, too, he has a great understanding with Juve’s left-back Alex Sandro, having both played for Porto before getting moves away two years ago.
But whilst Sandro has gone from strength to strength since making the switch in 2015, Danilo has stuttered at Real Madrid despite costing almost double the money at £32million. The 25-year-old has made just 41 league appearances at the Santiago Bernabeu, and even when he has had the chance, failed to show why he should usurp regular Dani Carvajal.
But there was a reason Real spent such a hefty fee on him, and with the freedom he would get at Juve, he would return to the form of his Porto days almost instantly.
Chelsea, and former Juve boss Antonio Conte, seem to be closing in on him, but there are reports that the Blues are still haggling over the fee. It is likely, given the similarities in philosophies between the two clubs, Danilo would have a similar role at both, but the Italian champions should definitely make a last-ditch attempt to bring him to Turin.
Whoever Juventus go for in regards to Dani Alves’ replacement will have huge boots to fill. It may be a huge blow to lose him, but the Old Lady will continue to move forward in years to come.
