Dani Alves confirms Juventus departure with Manchester City waiting

• Defender thanks club and fans in Instagram post 
• Alves is expected to be reunited with Pep Guardiola at City

Dani Alves has confirmed he has left Juventus after one season. The Brazilian right-back is expected to join Manchester City, where he would be reunited with Pep Guardiola, who managed him at Barcelona.

Alves moved to Juventus on a two-year contract from Barcelona last June and made 33 appearances as the club sealed the domestic double for the third successive year but lost to Real Madrid in the Champions League final.

The 34-year-old’s relationship with the club has deteriorated since the 4-1 defeat by Madrid in Cardiff last month and Juventus’s chief executive, Giuseppe Marotta, told reporters last week that the defender had asked to leave.

Alves wrote on Instagram, accompanied by a picture of him waving to the fans: “I would like to thank all the Juventus supporters for the year I’ve had, to my team-mates who welcomed me like the professionals they are, for a club that wins and reaches finals.

“I think that my respect for this club and its supporters was my dedication, my passion and all my effort to make the club greater every single day.

“I apologise to the Juventus fans if sometimes they thought I had done something to offend them. I never had that intention, I just live very spontaneously and few people understand it. Even though it appears that I am not perfect, my heart is pure.

“Today our professional relationship ends and I will carry with me all of those who with love and true heart make Juve a great club.

“As everyone knows, I always say what I think and feel, so I feel that I should say thank you to Mr Marota [sic] for the opportunity he gave me, he’s a great professional and someone who loves his job like few others.”

Alves angered Juventus supporters by posting a picture of the boots he wore when Barcelona beat the Italian club in the 2015 Champions League final and by saying that Paulo Dybala would have to leave to realise his full potential.

Alves insisted money was not the reason for his departure. He wrote: “I don’t play football for money, I play football because I love the profession and those who are part of it. I leave it up to you to judge what I have done and worked for.

“I LOVE FOOTBALL and money is never going to keep me somewhere.”

There has been no announcement from Juventus.

SOURCE;theguardian.com