Kaka cleared to talk to Man City

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Kaka cleared to talk to Man City

Jan 15, 2009

AC Milan have given their Brazilian superstar Kaka permission to talk to Manchester City.

City are thought to have bid in excess of £100m for the 26-year-old, whose father Bosco Leite is his advisor.

"Milan has authorized the negotiation with City," said Kaka's spokesman Diogo Kotschko. "The next step is Kaka's father will talk to Manchester City."

The director of the club's in-house TV channel, Mauro Suma, said Milan were looking at City's offer for Kaka.

But he added: "Considered does not mean decided or accepted. We are not faced with a decision made or a done deed."

However, a Milan spokesman said Suma's comments were not an official statement by the Serie A club.

Earlier on Thursday City boss Mark Hughes says the club's big-money offer for the Milan playmake Kaka makes football and business sense.

Talks are ongoing between the clubs over what would be a world record transfer for the 26-year-old.

"The money involved is something we feel, from a football and business point of view, works," said Hughes.

"The process has moved forward at a pace this week but people shouldn't be thinking that it is just a whim."

The sheer size of the figures involved in the proposed deal has made headlines around the world, but Hughes said it was all part of a considered plan from the club's hierarchy.

"It's been done with structure and understanding," he said.

"We're all very much involved in that process; myself from a football point of view and (chief executive) Garry Cook and (chairman) Khaldoon Al Mubarak from a club and business point of view.

"It would be naive to think I have not been involved in discussions over this transfer. I have had meetings about it and have had an input."

Earlier, City assistant manager Mark Bowen claimed that the record-breaking transfer was near to a resolution.

"We believe the deal is very close," Bowen told BBC Sport Wales.

"We are selling the future plans of the club to the player.

"I've read a lot about his love of AC Milan - and that goes without saying - but even when people said the deal was dead, that was
not our understanding.

"The situation has been a surprise to everyone but obviously negotiations have been going on for a fair while.

"How close we are I don't know, but our understanding is that it is very much a strong possibility that Kaka will be coming."

Some media outlets reported the deal was off because City had decided to withdraw their offer to Milan.

An AC Milan spokesman told BBC Sport on Thursday that they would not be making any further comment on the "special situation", but Kaka's adviser Diogo Kotscho said his client would be open to a move if Milan wanted to sell.

Kotecho insists any move would be done for the right reasons and not just for the reported £500,000-a-week wages.

"It is not impossible, if Milan let us talk, then we will see what City have to offer," Kotscho told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Kaka knows about the offer but the club did not give authorisation for talks, so we did not meet.

"It was a great proposal but it's not about only money.

"We have to see if they have a project to become a Champions League team and become one of the top teams in the world, and to stay there long term."

Previously Kaka had told the website of Mediaset, a TV company owned by Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi, he wanted to stay at the club for life.

"I want to grow old at Milan," he said.

"I repeat what I have always said. Other clubs can make all the offers they want but it all depends on Milan.

"As I have said before, as long as Milan share my goals, I would like to stay here. Then if one day the club wants to sell me, than that would be a different matter altogether.

"My aim is to become at some point in the future the captain of this team."

AC Milan confirmed that their chief executive Adriano Galliani had met officials from City on Tuesday to discuss Kaka's future.

The current record for a player's signature is £46m when France's Zinedine Zidane moved from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001.

Kaka joined Serie A giants Milan from Sao Paulo in 2003 and has since won the Italian league title, Champions League and Club World Cup.

The attacking midfielder has scored 86 goals in 244 appearances for Milan. He has also picked up 62 caps for Brazil and scored 23 goals.

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, estimated to be worth £15bn, took over as City owner in September 2008 and extensive funds have been made available to Hughes.

However, he has only secured the services of Wayne Bridge in January's transfer window, with bids rejected for West Ham forward Craig Bellamy and Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz.

The four-man delegation that travelled to Italy to initiate talks with the Milan officials is believed to have included executive chairman Cook and two representatives of the Sheikh.

With the club struggling in 15th position in the Premier League, it would give City an incredible boost if they were to seal the deal for one of the world's best players.

Kaka is under contract at the San Siro until 2013, and although he stated last February that he wanted to remain at Milan for the rest of his career, he did hint at a desire to play in the Premier League - which he has described as the "best championship in the world".

Source: BBC

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