It was a nice story while it lasted, but the romantic notion of a return to Barcelona for Dani Alves was just a fanciful wish on the part of the player.
At 38 years of age, the Brazilian was arguably looking for one final pay day before heading into retirement, most probably after the 2022 World Cup.
However, the Catalan club, where he played a full part in their incredible recent success, simply don’t have a need for his services at this juncture.
Any noises about a potential move have come from the player’s camp, and as Goal report, Barca aren’t playing ball.
MORE: Liverpool fans will love this
Perhaps, with Joan Laporta back as president and Xavi Hernandez installed as manager, Alves felt the time was right to make a play for a move back to Camp Nou.
If there’s one thing Barca can’t afford at this moment aside from high salaries, it’s buying players based on sentiment.
The need to get out of the mess that they are in will override everything for the foreseeable future.