It usually happens in a player's career that he suddenly realises he needs to be playing first-team football. This appears to have dawned on Real Madrid attacking midfielder Kaka, who yesterday declared his intention to leave the club.
The Brazilian was a huge money signing for Real in June 2009 but has increasingly found himself on the fringes of the team, to the point that he is now looking to move. The news will have alerted a number of European sides and here Sports Mole considers some possible destinations for the 31-year-old.
Manchester United:
Supporters of the Old Trafford club are beginning to get restless with the lack of signings this summer. In particular an area that has not been freshened up for a number of years is the centre of midfield, so United are likely to be linked with any that might be available. Kaka could certainly fit the bill as, although he is much more of an attacking midfielder, he can dictate play in the middle, which United fans will be only too aware of in the past in the Champions League.
David Moyes's attention does, at the moment, seem to be turned in the direction of his former player at Everton Marouane Fellaini, however. Fellaini is best as a defensive midfielder, which means that if Moyes is targeting such players then he may not want Kaka.
AC Milan:
When Kaka is mentioned, his former side AC Milan are never far away from the conversation. Milan is the city where Kaka made a name for himself in Europe and there will always remain a special bond between him and the club. The Brazilian has been consistently linked with a return to his old side almost every summer since leaving and they have immediately been installed as the favourites.
However, Milan is no longer a rest home for half of Europe's soon-to-be retired greats, so is 31-year-old Kaka the sort of player they need right now? At the start of the summer, the club's president Adriano Galliani ruled out a move for Kaka, citing his wages at Real. Now that he wants to leave, might he be willing to reduce his demands?
Atletico Madrid:
Definitely an outsider on the list, but Atletico Madrid's squad could certainly do with another midfielder of the attacking variety. The pluses from Kaka's points of view would be that he is likely to get game time at his current club's local rivals, with Koke and Raul Garcia his closest competition, but there are also several factors that make a move unlikely.
One would be Real's reluctance to let one of their players leave for Atletico, but what is to say that the fans of Diego Simeone's team would even welcome a player who cannot get in the team across the city? At 31, it could be hard for Kaka to adapt to a new style of football if he was to go to England, but that would not be a problem with a move to another La Liga side.
Arsenal:
Arsenal's transfer woes have been much discussed this season, with just Yaya Sanogo and Mathieu Flamini to speak of on the incomings front. Since the start of the season a second major problem has arisen - injuries. With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out for much of the season and Lukas Podolski for up to 10 weeks, Arsene Wenger might have to do some reshuffling to fit the senior attacking players in who are not injured.
Should Santi Cazorla be asked to fill in on the left hand side, there is immediately room in Arsenal's midfield for an attacking playmaker of Kaka's ilk. Of course, it would not be sensible to make an expensive signing just to plug temporary gaps - and, besides, the club's wage structure may not even allow a move to happen - but Kaka could still have two or three years left and would add to a squad in need of depth.
Paris Saint-Germain:
With new rivals on the spending scene, Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain could see Kaka as potentially another marquee signing. More than that, however, is that there could be a place for him in the team's existing squad. PSG have a high number of players in midfield who sit deep and look to break up play, but they could benefit from a player such as Kaka, who plays higher up the pitch and takes on his man.
Javier Pastore, Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi would offer Kaka stiff competition in the PSG ranks, but there is no reason why he would not get minutes this season. Certainly, PSG are one of the sides who could afford his wage demands, but would they be willing to take the risk on a player who many think has seen his best years?
