Kaka round up

If you're reading this you're probably familiar with the big news of the day: that City have been authorized to speak with Kaka. The club are now in the process of convincing the player (and his representatives) to join City.

Ian Herbert and Jason Burt team up for another piece in the Independent, and discuss how Kaka may go about saying goodbye to Milan.

Though convincing Bosco of their "project" is critical to City's bid, the executive chairman, Garry Cook, knows the player must be persuaded to leave in a way which does not cause Milan to lose face. There is a view in some quarters at City that Kaka may hold a press conference next week announcing his departure. Such an exit would mirror the way Andrei Shevchenko left Milan for Chelsea three years ago and Robinho's exit from Real Madrid for Eastlands last year.

They then map out how Kaka would fit into the City team, but bizarrely don't mention Robinho.

City are certainly confident enough in their pursuit of the 26-year-old to have mapped out already where the former Fifa World Player of the Year will be deployed in a Manchester City starting XI – in the centre of midfield, with Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips on either side of him and Roque Santa Cruz – another of City's major transfer targets – up front. Despite Mark Hughes' avid pursuit of Craig Bellamy – the City manager's latest offer of £9.5m was rejected by West Ham on Wednesday – the Welsh striker does not appear to be part of an ideal starting XI.

I'd guess it would be a 4-1-4-1 with Kompany holding and then Robinho, Kaka, Ireland and SWP across the midfield with Santa Cruz, Bozhinov or whoever leading the line.

The Mail sticks with the Ian Ladyman/Matt Lawton double team and have some interesting news on other signings : Hamburg's Dutch holding midfielders Nigel de Jong and Espanyol's goalkeeper Carlos Kameini are set to join for £15m and £2.5m respectively. It's late and I'm tired but I'll post at length about this tomorrow.