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Kaka rejects Manchester City move
AC Milan playmaker Kaka has turned down a lucrative move to Manchester City.
"Kaka is staying at Milan," said a club spokesman, after the team's owner Silvio Berlusconi told Italian television the 26-year-old was staying.
City issued a statement saying they had ended talks, believing it was unlikely a deal could be struck with Milan.
"A transfer must work commercially, financially, results on the field and within City's broader community," said executive chairman Garry Cook.
"The discussions reached only a preliminary stage and the player was not involved at any time." added Cook, who spent Monday in meetings with Milan officials and Kaka's father and advisor Bosco Leite. "No commercial terms were framed."
City's bid for Kaka was reportedly worth a £100m, more than £50m than the current world transfer fee record Real Madrid paid to Juventus to sign Zinedine Zidane in 2001
Earlier Milan fans had protested outside the club's headquarters over the possible sale of the Brazilian to Manchester City in a £100m transfer.
Fans also gathered outside Kaka's house and he responded by beating his hand three times on his heart while holding a Milan shirt.
"When I heard him say that he prefers to stay, that he doesn't feel like he has lost the opportunity to earn a higher salary and that he feels privileged to wear the shirt, he values the closeness and the friendships, the heat and affection that all the fans have shown him even in these last two days, I said 'hallelujah' and we hugged," Berlusconi told Italian television.
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2009-01-20 06:47:29
