Berlusconi's £100 Million Hoax?

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Silvio Berlusconi is reknowned as the Italian master of spin. Has he spun English football and all it's writers and learned voices up their own backsides over 'Kakágate...?'

There's a growing line of thought in Italy that AC Milan owner Berlusconi engineered and hyped the direction of the whole 'Kaká to City' transfer story for his own ends. That is to say that were a deal with City not to take place following all the media hyperbole, then the Dracula lookalike's standing with the Rossoneri would soar, or should it go through, he would ensure a massive financial killing for his club.

The most glaring fact of this whole episode to date has been that the first revelation of a '£100 Million bid' were released on one of Berlusconi's own websites.

Subsequently, another Berlusconi website saw him lending weight to a possible transfer by his quote 'It is very difficult to make someone stay after they've seen such wages.'

It certainly wasn't anybody associated with Manchester City who announced that Kaká would be earning £500,000 a week if a senior adviser close to City owner Sheikh Mansour speaking through Observer Sport is to be believed:

'The reports are absolutely ridiculous and so far wide of the mark it's unreal. Kaká would command a price around that of previous world-best players. But at the moment it is difficult to pick an exact number.

'A hundred million, in pounds or euros, is ridiculous. It doubles the previous record for a transfer and, in the current economic climate, how could there possibly be a return on that or a salary of £500,000 a-week? You could do so much else with that amount of money. And, whatever happens, there would be no lump sum payment: payments would be over time.

'You have to remember also that the player has not even been spoken to by us - he is simply one of a list that interests Mark Hughes. We merely said, 'Ok, this might be nice.' It's a process like viewing a house. If you like what you see, then you take it on a stage. It should be remembered that Manchester City's owner is an intelligent man. He will not just throw money at anything. And Gary Cook (City Executive Chairman) was formerly at Nike so knows all about intellectual property rights.'

What continues to beggar belief while nothing actually happens are the amount of footballing figures, opposition fans and jounalista queuing up to register their worked up hysteria at City's imminent ruining of world football.

The latest bandwaggoning saps to get stuck in from diverse corners of football are Mark Lawrenson, David Beckham and Mohammed Al Fayed.

Whatever those buffoons say, if last night's protests from Milan's passionate fans are anything to go by allied to the aforementioned Berlusconi factor and Mark Hughes' insistance that City are a long way from signing the player, then I reckon it is highly unlikely that Kaká will become a City player this month.

What I would say to Planet Blue right now is for Christ's sake don't be too disappointed if City's inquiry over Kaká doesn't materialise into a successful Eastlands bound transfer.

Save that disappointment up should a ludicrous fourth bid for West Ham's on strike Craig Bellamy be accepted...

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