Kaka signing once in a blue moon

The astronomical figures being reported during Manchester City’s pursuit of Brazilian playmaker Kaka suggest the concept of the priceless footballer is set to be severely tested.

We have often heard managers claim a player is not for sale at any price, but never before have the player’s suitors been armed with the unlimited funds of an oil-rich emirate.

If ever there was a player who falls into the ‘priceless’ bracket it was Kaka.

He is one of the world’s very best players, capable of moments of genius few are able to produce and, despite all the other big name stars on show at AC Milan, the team is built around his unique talents.

But City’s Arab owners are apparently prepared to offer the kind of sum that would make anyone listen, around £100 million may just make Carlo Ancelotti think twice about rebuilding his team in a different way.

The other stumbling block is to persuade Kaka they can match the ambitions of one of the world’s greatest talents and wages of half a million pounds a week would go some way to showing how serious they are.

Signing him is going to be hard enough but, while I would love to see a player of Kaka’s genius in the Premier League, moulding Kaka into the team is going to be a further challenge for Mark Hughes.

While I’m not suggesting for one second that City will be a weaker side with Kaka in the line up, trophies and the kind of glory the Brazilian must be chasing are not reliant on one man alone but a team or even a squad.

How the other players in City’s squad react to the inclusion of a player on drastically higher wages and who cost so much is going to be interesting, particularly as the team will have to be built around Kaka.

Some players have the natural humility to accept their limited talents and their value, and as a result will be satisfied with a water-carrying role.

Others may relish the chance of lining up alongside such a gifted player and see it as a chance to improve their game and prove they are not such a long way off themselves.

Look at the way Stephen Ireland and Shaun Wright-Phillips have prospered since Robinho’s arrival at Eastlands.

But there will no doubt be some who will resent Kaka’s privileged position and inflated earnings, it is only human nature.

They may also fear that their place in the team could be jeopardised at a stroke if Sheikh Mansour goes after more stellar signings, which – it has been suggested – could be a prerequisite for the capture of Kaka.

Manager Mark Hughes will have to master these feelings and the transfers which the Welshman himself seem to be actually involved in suggest he does realise the importance of building a team rather than just splashing out on big names.

They may not be as glamorous and not involve game-changing money, but the signing of Wayne Bridge and the potential capture of the industrious Scott Parker could be, in a very different way, almost as important as Kaka.

To prove this they only need to look across to the other side of Manchester.

United – currently the nation’s most successful club – have based their success not just on the talents of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, but also a rock solid defence that has just recorded ten successive shut outs and a host of committed squad players.