The most tantalising piece of transfer gossip this summer unfortunately arrived after the close of the window. Italian sport daily, Il Corriere dello Sport reported earlier this month that Internazionale’s president Massimo Moratti has given the green light for the club to enter negotiations with Real Madrid over the possible loan signing of Kaka. The Brazilian star made his name at the San Siro with AC Milan and rivals Inter feel they may be able to tempt him back to Italy. Given the scale of the fee which took him to the Bernabeu a year ago, the story has been rejected as mere speculation in some quarters. Yet after seeing their former forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic paraded by AC Milan this summer, is revenge driving Inter’s pursuit of Kaka in a deal which would mirror that of the Swede’s return to Milan?
The director of Inter Milan, Macro Tronchetti Provera had this to say to Sky Italia recently: “I would like to see Kaka play for Inter. The player we saw at Milan was great, and I would like to see him wear the Nerazzurri shirt.” Having moved from Inter to Madrid this summer there has been no indication by Jose Mourinho that he is willing to let Kaka leave. The playmaker is currently sidelined with a knee injury which will curtail his presence for several months. Injury restricted him to 22 appearances for Madrid in his inaugural season in the Spanish capital. The third most expensive player in history arrived there last summer with a groin problem and suffered a calf injury later in the season. However the player who has been compared with Pele and Zico showed signs of his immense talent as he scored eight league goals.
This scurrilous rumour may persist due to his continued absence and Real Madrid’s acquisition of World Cup starlet Mesut Ozil. “If we have to lose him for a while, it won’t be a drama – we have other players,” Mourinho commented. The German who declared, “I have joined the best club in the world,” has stepped straight into the Brazilian’s shoes. He assisted Gonzalo Higuain’s goal in last week’s Champions League match against Ajax. Another highly rated youngster of that creative ilk at Madrid is the 18-year old Sergio Canales. The former Racing Santander midfielder had been expected to leave on loan this season but has palpably impressed his new manager. “He looks very good and can play in the same position as Kaka behind the strikers.”
The form of these two emerging talents will dictate the credibility afforded to this transfer story as the next window approaches. Inter Milan already have a world class No10 of their own in the shape of Wesley Sneijder but are arguably keen to exact revenge on their city rivals. Reluctantly selling Ibrahimovic for 45 million euros plus Samuel Eto’o had been astute business for Inter but now the languid Swedish striker is back in Milan. The Rossoneri have endured an uninspiring start to their league season but the world’s second most expensive footballer, on loan from Barcelona, scored a delightful brace against Auxerre last week. He also brings with him an uncanny ability to win league titles wherever he plays. Inter are understandably irate at yet another one of their former players defecting to their most bitter rivals. Both Clarence Seedorf and Andrea Pirlo played for them before winning everything that was put in front of them at Milan. The Nerazzurri are unquestionably the dominant force in Italian football but still harbour a resentment towards the great Milan teams of the 1990s that triumphed while Inter perfected their reputation as serial chokers.
Revenge would be sweet if the club could tempt Kaka, who spent six years at AC Milan, to Inter. Since the rumour emerged, Moratti has been coy: “I read about it in this morning’s papers. It’s a wonderful idea but it doesn’t come from us.” Football fans across the world will eagerly wait to see if the story gathers pace, potentially adding extra spice to the biggest rivalry in Italian football.
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