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Dani Alves agrees to rejoin Barcelona

Dani Alves is heading back to Barcelona.

The 38-year-old agreed to rejoin the club he left more than five years ago, finalizing an agreement Friday on a contract until the end of the season.

Barcelona said Alves will be available to play starting in January.

He’s returning to Camp Nou as a free agent, having cut ties with Sao Paulo in September, and expected to compete for starts at the right-back position with prospective proteges Sergino Dest and Oscar Mingueza.

Alves could also play as a right-winger, as he did in Brazil with Sao Paulo.

The club was reluctant to bring back Alves up until it hired Xavi as manager, sources told ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens. Xavi, Alves’ former teammate, reportedly sees the Brazilian as the ideal mentor to Barcelona’s young crop of players.

The outspoken full-back appears to have made amends with the La Liga giants after criticizing them for mistreating him upon his departure in June 2016.

He famously ripped into Barcelona’s executives after joining Juventus on a free transfer, calling them “false” and “ungrateful” in February 2017.

“They did not respect me. They only offered me a renewal when they were given a transfer ban by FIFA,” he said. “That was when I came into play and signed a deal with a termination clause.

“The people who run Barcelona today have no idea how to treat their players.”

Many of those people have relinquished their roles in the years since his departure. Josep Maria Bartomeu, who was president at the time, resigned last year after losing the confidence of club members.

Alves brings a wealth of experience back to Barcelona. He’s widely considered the most decorated player of all time, with 43 trophies to his name at the senior level.

NFL

Julio hits IR as injuries mount for AFC-best Titans

4:41 PM ET

  • Turron DavenportESPN

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    • Covered Eagles for USA Today
    • Covered the Ravens for Baltimore Times
    • Played college football at Cheyney University

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Titans wide receiver Julio Jones will miss at least three games after being placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Saturday.

After not appearing on the injury report this week for the first time since Week 4, Jones tweaked his hamstring during Thursday’s practice and sat out Friday. He had been dealing with a hamstring injury since Week 3 that caused him to miss three games.

The AFC-best Titans (7-2) play the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Tennessee acquired Jones and a 2023 sixth-round pick from the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 fourth-round pick. Trading for Jones was supposed to provide a complementary receiver to budding star A.J. Brown.

Jones has caught 21 passes for 336 yards through six games this season. He played 42 snaps in last Sunday’s victory over the Rams — his highest snap count since tweaking the hamstring in Week 3.

The Titans will turn to second-year receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to step in for Jones. Westbrook-Ikhine has 15 receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns this season. Tennessee also signed rookie wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick to the active roster from the practice squad.

In corresponding moves, the Titans activated cornerback Kristian Fulton from injured reserve and placed safety Dane Cruikshank on injured reserve.

The Titans had already lost NFL rushing leader Derrick Henry for an unspecified length of time due to a right foot injury that required surgery. Sources told ESPN that he’s expected to miss the rest of the season.