Manchester City's Kaka hopes put on hold

The AC Milan midfielder is seen by the Eastlands outfit's billionaire owners as the showpiece signing that could revolutionise City from Premier League also-rans into one of the biggest clubs in the world.

The club dispatched chief executive Garry Cook and chief operating officer Paul Aldridge to Milan last week to open negotiations with the Serie A side and the player himself ahead of a possible £60 million move.

But any such deal is likely to have to wait until July, with Milan director Adriano Galliani indicating his side's activity in the January transfer window is already at an end. Sources at Eastlands admit that while bringing the former world player of the year in would spark an instant revival in the club's stuttering fortunes, they are prepared to bide their time to ensure they land their man.

After a disappointing start, Milan have closed to within nine points of league leaders Inter and are unlikely to want to sell their star player at such a crucial stage. Kaka himself has made a point in recent days of praising both his new team-mate David Beckham and his compatriot Alexandre Pato.

The presence of another international colleague, Robinho, makes City an enticing destination for the 26-year-old and no doubt the Premier League side's negotiating team will be keen to use that as a tool to get their man at the first available opportunity.

But on Tuesday evening AC Milan owner Silvio Berlusconi played down any speculation that Kaka could be on his way to Eastlands.

"I know nothing about a Manchester City offer for Kaka," said Berlusconi. "I think he's not transferable and given that is the case, he will stay at Milan."

Contrary to reports, the club's policy in this window is not to land a showpiece signing. Instead, manager Mark Hughes is concentrating on plugging the holes in his squad with experienced Premier League campaigners.

To that end, he is likely to return to West Ham with a third bid for Craig Bellamy, in the region of around £12 million, before the end of the week. Roque Santa Cruz and Scott Parker are expected to follow before the end of the window.

One man likely to be staying at City until the end of the season is Valeri Bojinov. Both Lazio and Fiorentina are tracking the Bulgarian, but the player has revealed an enquiry from West Ham has been turned down.

He said: "Mark Hughes has told me Gianfranco Zola wants me but City do not want to sell. I'm happy that the management value me."