Carlo Ancelotti, the new Chelsea manager, has urged Roman Abramovich to redouble his efforts to sign Franck Ribéry after the club conceded defeat in their pursuit of Kaká last night.
Chelsea released a statement denying reports that they had made a new £73.5 million bid for Kaká, leaving the way clear for the AC Milan and Brazil forward to join Real Madrid.
Abramovich had taken personal charge of Chelsea's move for Kaká, holding talks with Bosco Leite, the player's father and agent, in Milan last week, as The Times revealed on Monday. However, the Russian was told at that meeting that the player had his heart set on joining Real.
Kaká repeated that message to his Milan team-mates before he left for international duty on Tuesday. The clubs have agreed a £56.2 million fee and an announcement of the deal is expected on Monday.
Kaká's reluctance to enter into formal negotiations represents a serious blow to Chelsea, particularly given the fact that Ancelotti was until this week his manager at Milan, and goes some way towards explaining their attempt to distance themselves from the deal. It is the second summer in a row they have missed out on their primary transfer target after Robinho opted to join Manchester City last September because of the club's failure to agree a fee with Real.
“We have never made an offer to AC Milan for Kaká and therefore not one at this extraordinary level,” a Chelsea statement read. “As a consequence we have not discussed a salary with the player either. Any reports to the contrary are totally untrue.”
Silvio Berlusconi, the Milan president, said yesterday that Kaká's decision would be made public on Monday. “I will talk with Kaká next Monday and on Monday I will be able to reveal the decision,” Berlusconi said. “It is early to think about what happens next.”
Given his close relationship with Kaká, Ancelotti had already accepted the futility of Chelsea's interest before signing his three-year contract as manager on Monday, saying the day before that there was one player he would like to bring with him from the San Siro but that it was an impossibility, and he has already turned his sights to Ribéry.
The Bayern Munich winger is also wanted by Real, but Ancelotti is hoping that Abramovich's pride will not allow him to be beaten to the signature of two players by the Spaniards. Bayern are publicly insisting that Ribéry is not for sale, but have privately conceded that they would accept a fee of £40 million. Chelsea are willing to pay an outlandish transfer fee this summer, but Abramovich may be reluctant to sanction such a level of spending for a player he could have had for less than half that sum two years ago.
“We will not let Ribéry go,” Uli Hoeness, the Bayern general manager, said yesterday. “Most clubs only ended their season recently and when the players go on holiday, the bosses start with their planning.
“There will be inquiries for Ribéry in the next four to six weeks, I'm sure. But we have not had any decisive inquiry. We will be polite, but we will not negotiate. We're not going to celebrate on the telephone when somebody offers a certain amount.”
In addition to a fantasy player such as Ribéry, Ancelotti is also looking for a striker to provide back-up for Didier Drogba, who will miss at least a month of next season at the African Cup of Nations. Chelsea have opened talks with representatives of Daniel Sturridge, the 19-year-old striker who is a free agent after refusing an offer of a new contract from Manchester City. Sturridge demanded wages of £65,000 a week at City, which the club were unwilling to match for a player who has made only five Barclays Premier League starts.
Chelsea suffered another setback yesterday when Ricardo Carvalho revealed his desire to leave the club after what he described as the worst year of his career. The Portugal defender made 12 appearances last season after a series of hamstring injuries.
“I'm open to offers if someone wants to make one, but an agreement has to be struck with Chelsea,” the 31-year-old said. “Clubs can be interested, but that doesn't mean they will be able to sign me. First, they have to reach an agreement with the club and then talk to me, but I am available for whoever wants me the most.
"It has been the worst year of my life, with injury after injury. I want to be where I feel good. It's obvious that it's hard now to respond to these questions because I had four fantastic years at Chelsea and this last year hasn't been good at all.”
Ancelotti is likely to have to begin work at Chelsea without his trusted No 2, Filippo Galli. The 46-year-old has been offered a pay rise to stay at Milan and is expected to accept it and continue working under the club's new coach, Leonardo. Ancelotti is still exploring the possibility of bringing Bruno Di Michele, a sports psychologist, to Chelsea.
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