Dani Alves said he would welcome competition for his place at Barcelona should the La Liga giants succeed in signing Juan Cuadrado from Fiorentina.
Colombia international Cuadrado, 26, is having an excellent World Cup playing on the right wing -- providing three assists in Los Cafeteros' wins over Greece and Ivory Coast. This has led the Camp Nou outfit to firm up their previous interest in the player, with Fiorentina last week agreeing a deal with Udinese to secure 100 percent of his 'rights' seen by some as a precursor to a 35 million euro deal with Barca.
While Cuadrado has also featured mainly in a similarly attacking role in Serie A, reports in Catalonia suggest that new blaugrana coach Luis Enrique sees him as a full-back reserve for the 31-year-old Alves.
The Brazil international told AS that he is not worried about competition for his place in the team, and it was a positive for any club to try to sign the best players available.
"If they can sign [Cuadrado], then I would urge Barca to do it," Alves said. "Great players are always very welcome. It does not bother me that Barcelona are trying to sign him. Just the opposite, he is an excellent player, young, has performed excellently with his club and the Colombian national team. You see that your club is looking for quality players to be able to compete. For me that is a motivation."
Alves' own future continues to be the subject of speculation, with Paris Saint-Germain having reportedly made a big-money offer to tempt him away, with the aim of fielding him alongside international teammates Thiago Silva, David Luiz and Maxwell in an all-Selecao back four.
Asked about the possibility of this move taking place the former Sevilla player had nothing to say on that subject.
"When I am with the national team my mind is just here," Alves said.