City admit defeat in Kaka chase

Chief executive Garry Cook led the sombre return of a defeated Manchester City delegation back from Milan on Monday night with the words of jubilant AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi ringing in their ears.

While City officials could offer a wry smile at the Italian Prime Minister, whose club were perfectly willing to sell their favourite son at an estimated price of £90million, they will have to start getting used to the sly chortles at an audacious move that did not quite work out as planned.

"We offered the player the chance to consider the offer and make himself a fortune, but he has higher values," said Berlusconi. "He is staying with us, there are things which are more important than money: we are happy."

He added: "When I heard he would prefer to stay, that he didn't think he would be missing a great opportunity and he prefers the values of our flag, the values of closeness and friendship, the warmth and the affection that all the fans have shown him in these days, I said 'hooray' and we hugged. Kaka is staying at Milan."

In conceding a first-round defeat, Cook acknowledged it was always a long shot to persuade Kaka he should join the City revolution.

Without managing to meet the 26-year-old face to face, Cook was forced to deal with Milan officials and Kaka's father Bosco Leite.

And it soon became apparent there were too many parts of the deal, almost certainly involving get-out clauses for the South American, that made it pointless to continue.

"Whilst Manchester City Football Club has an obvious interest in world-class players of the quality of Kaka, we owe it to our fans that such a transfer must work on every level; commercially, financially, in terms of results on the field and within Manchester City's broader community," Cook told www.mcfc.co.uk.

City have made it clear that having missed out on Kaka, they will not be turning their attention to stars of a similar status, such as Barcelona's Lionel Messi.

It means Blues supporters will have to be realistic in the players manager Mark Hughes adds to his squad this month following the £14million arrival of Craig Bellamy.