Arsenal v Ipswich: Dan Billinghurst gives his top betting tips for tonight’s Carling Cup 2nd leg…

Barcelona legend Johan Cruyff feels the club should consider allowing right-back Dani Alves to join Manchester City.

Alves is contracted at Camp Nou until June 2012 but he has turned down the offer of a new deal.

And with City waiting in the wings, Cruyff feels the Catalan club should let the 27-year-old move to the Premier League side rather than run the risk of seeing him leave for nothing when his current deal expires in 18 months time.

“Barcelona are a sensational team with or without (Dani) Alves,” Cruyff said in El Periodico Catalunya.

“Is it better to have him with us (Barcelona)? Sure. However, if Manchester City’s offer is for real it may be better to sell him rather than wait for his contract to end and then he will be free to leave.

“When a club like Manchester City comes along and breaks all the salary barriers like never before there isn’t much you can do. It doesn’t matter whether it is fair or not. That’s the way it is.

“It’s exactly the same as (Yaya) Toure. The coach (Pep Guardiola) wants Alves to stay, as he did with Toure – but what cannot be, cannot be.”

Ivory Coast midfielder Toure left Barca for City last summer in a £24million deal which made him one of the highest earning footballers in the world.

Alves has said that he is weighing up his options, although coach Guardiola said recently that he was confident the player would sign a new deal.

“As far as I know, negotiations haven’t broken down,” said Guardiola.

“I don’t think the situation will distract him either, though if that does happen we will all help him, but his form hasn’t dipped at all since he began talking with the club about this.”

Arsenal v Ipswich: Dan Billinghurst gives his top betting tips for tonight’s Carling Cup 2nd leg…

Take advantage of the January sales by saving up to 36% on a subscription to World Soccer