Dani Alves has seen Juventus clear the path for him to join Manchester City, and Xavi considers him to still be “the best right-back in the world”.
Having spent many years playing alongside the Brazilian during their time at Barcelona, the World Cup winner knows all about the 34-year-old’s talent.
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Xavi sees no reason why Alves cannot spend “more years” at the very highest level, as he closes on a move to England.
With Juve having freed him from his contract with the Italian champions, City are now in a position to complete a deal which has been mooted for some time.
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Xavi told reporters on the buccaneering defender: “Age is not everything. For me, he's still the best right-back in the world.
“Barcelona missed him this season - and he's just had an incredible season with Juventus.
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“He is a good friend, I know how hard he works, I know how well he looks after himself.
“He's in great condition and can play at the top level for some more years yet.”
Alves will offer City much more than his ability on the field, though, with Xavi also talking up the experience and bubbly personality which will quickly endear him to a new audience.
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He added: “You're not just getting a great player - you're also getting great experience.
“He's won many league titles across Europe, Champions League titles and has played in all the big games with Brazil.
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“He's a big character and he's very important in the locker room. He has a great relationship with Pep [Guardiola] - there's a lot of mutual respect - they had a lot of success together at Barcelona.”
Goal revealed last week that a two-year contract has been agreed by City to bring Alves onto their books.