Kaka staying at Milan, says Berlusconi

AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi ended transfer speculation surrounding Kaka by telling a TV programme on Monday that the 26-year-old Brazilian will be staying at Milan.

The former World Player of the Year had been the subject of a reported 100 million euro bid from mega-rich Manchester City in a transfer saga that had been picking up pace over the last week.

Berlusconi said last week that with the money on offer he could not force Kaka to stay if he wanted to leave.

But he seems to have changed his mind and claimed on Monday that he had intervened personally to ensure the fans’ favourite will be staying in Italy.

“Both I and he have intervened,” said Berlusconi.

“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,” said the Italian Prime Minister.

“Kaka is and is staying at Milan.”

However, Berlusconi then opened up a little doubt.

“I give my word on the things that depend on me. At the end of this affair I don’t know if I will still be president of Milan, as much as I am not any more,” he said cryptically.