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    Barcelona star admits he almost joined Chelsea

    Dani Alves

    By talkSPORT | Wednesday, May 25, 2011

     

    Barcelona star Daniel Alves has revealed he almost joined Chelsea several seasons ago in order to work under Jose Mourinho.

    The Brazilian full-back swapped Sevilla for Barca in a £23m deal in 2008, however the 28-year-old has revealed he held talks with the west London club over a possible switch to the Premier League during Mourinho's reign.

    The Portuguese coach, now in charge of Barca's fierce rivals Real Madrid, managed Chelsea from 2004-2007, winning the Premier League twice and also the FA Cup.

    I really like Mourinho, he is a fantastic person - I was on the verge of working with him at Chelsea, we spoke many times and I think he is a great professional— Dani Alves

    And Alves, who will face Manchester United in the Champions League final this Saturday at Wembley, has revealed he came close to moving to Stamford Bridge before his big-money move to the Nou Camp.

    "I really like Mourinho, he is a fantastic person - I was on the verge of working with him at Chelsea," Alves told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

    "We spoke many times and I think he is a great professional," he added.