KAKA: REAL MOVE DECIDED IN JANUARY

Kaka has claimed his move to Real Madrid from AC Milan was decided on as early as January.

Milan had always insisted Kaka was not for sale and stunned the footballing world when they accepted a bid for the Brazil playmaker from Manchester City in the January transfer window.

Hundreds of fans turned up at Kaka's house to plead with him not to leave and although he decided to stay, he has now revealed it was because he was convinced by a phone call from Madrid.

"It wasn't exactly Florentino (Perez, Madrid president) who called, because he wasn't the president at the time." Kaka told Spanish sports daily AS. "For me it was a surprise all the fuss they created around it.

"It was the first time Milan wanted to sell me. (Milan president Silvio) Berlusconi assured me that it was only for financial reasons.

"For me it was great to see the fans outside my house showing their support for me not to leave.

"They were days of a lot of emotion, but I knew that everything was already decided."

Perez has created a stir since returning to the presidency last month, spending well over 200million euros on Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Negredo, Esteban Granero and Alvaro Arbeloa.

He is acting much like he did during his first spell in charge, the famous galacticos era, and Kaka has revealed Perez made several attempts to sign him back then.

"There was a first attempt when I arrived at Sao Paulo. It didn't work and it was then that I moved to Milan," said Kaka.

"Whenever I received offers from whatever team I always passed to Milan the responsibility of deciding on my departure. They were a club I loved and at which I was always happy.

"In six years there were offers, including some from Real Madrid. But Milan decided to open the door for me this year. First with City, but I then told them that I would only leave to go to Real Madrid."

Kaka, who is set to make his long-awaited debut on August 7, met all his new team-mates at the Peace Cup last Sunday and has started training with them for the first time this week.

The 27-year-old has vowed to propel Madrid, who ended last season empty-handed for the fourth time in six years, back to glory.

"It's excellent here," added Kaka. "I've been warmly welcomed by all my team-mates, and also the whole of the coaching staff and everyone who works for the club.

"It's been even better than I expected.

"I want to win. I hope to win trophies with Madrid and the most important of them is the Champions League.

"Moreover, the final this year will be held at the Bernabeu and that's an extra motivation.

"Everyone involved in football knows how difficult it will be to win it, but I have a great desire to win the Champions League in the Bernabeu.

"And I also would like to win La Liga, of course."

Many comparisons have been drawn between Kaka and Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane.

However, the former FIFA World Player of the Year insists he still has a lot to prove before he can be regarded in the same light.

"Zidane is a football legend, both in France and at Real Madrid," said Kaka. "He is in a league of his own because he made history throughout his career. I still haven't achieved that.

"It doesn't bother me if they compare the two of us, it's normal. It's not the first time it's happened to me. Everywhere I've been they have always compared me to him.

"At Madrid I hope to use him as a role model so that I can make as much history as he did at the Bernabeu. For me, that will be paramount."

ARBELOA CLOSES ON MADRID MOVE

Liverpool full-back Alvaro Arbeloa claims he is close to finalising his anticipated move to Real Madrid.

Arbeloa has been linked with a move to Real throughout the summer with his chances at Liverpool likely to be more limited this season following the signing of Glen Johnson.

Real, who are also chasing Arbeloa's team-mate Xabi Alonso, are keen to increase the number of Spaniards in their squad following the big-money arrivals of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.

A £4.5million fee for Arbeloa has been mooted and the Spain international believes talks over a move to Real are making positive progress.

"At present I am only focused on Liverpool, but it is true that (the deal) is nearly completed," Arbeloa told Marca.

"As I understand, it seems everything is going well and there is little left to resolve.

"It could all be sorted out this week."

Arbeloa has made almost 100 appearances for Liverpool since joining the Premier League club from Deportivo La Coruna in January 2007.

He signed for Deportivo from Real, having failed to make an impact in his first spell at the Bernabeu after playing in the youth team for current Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez.

FERGUSON PLAYS DOWN REAL AIMS

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has backed his club to cope without Cristiano Ronaldo and questioned whether Real Madrid's squad has the right balance to challenge for Champions League glory.

United sold Ronaldo to Real for £80million earlier this summer, with the Spanish giants also spending huge sums to bring in Kaka from AC Milan and Karim Benzema from Lyon.

The spending was prompted by the re-election of Florentino Perez as Real president. He was criticised in his first term for building a side containing sublime talent in some areas but lacking quality and experience in others, particularly in defence.

Ferguson sees a similar pattern emerging again, a view shared by his Milan counterpart Leonardo.

"I understand all too well that losing 26 goals from a winger is hard to replace, but we will try because it is the nature of our club that the expectations never change whether you have Ronaldo or (Antonio) Valencia," Ferguson said.

"I would not like to be (Real coach Manuel) Pellegrini picking his teams."

Ferguson joked: "I told Ronaldo when he left us that they will probably be playing him at centre-half; I don't think they have one.

"It is difficult with all their individuals to pick the right balance and that is part of it."

Leonardo, whose Milan side are involved alongside United in the four-team Audi Cup in Munich, must also cope without Kaka but is also hoping Real's 'galacticos' policy will come unstuck.

Talking about the first term under Perez, he said: "They did not win so much in the end. It is not easy to construct a team with talented individuals.

"To create a team, you need something more and we hope Real Madrid don't have that. Sometimes you need more than talent to win."

A small fraction of the Ronaldo transfer fee was reinvested to sign Valencia from Wigan, and he is expected to feature against Boca Juniors tomorrow.

Ferguson has attempted to play down expectations surrounding the Ecuador star, who he believes will need time to settle in at Old Trafford.

"He has the potential and we hope he will develop and will become a star of tomorrow," he said.

"Valencia is a player we watched throughout last season.

"He is young, athletic, has good power and I think, at the age of 23, he can develop at our club."

United face Boca Juniors tomorrow evening before playing either Bayern Munich or AC Milan in Thursday's final or third-place play-off.

Ferguson added that he had done his homework on tomorrow's South American opponents via late-night television.

"If you can't sleep at three in the morning in England, then you can see Boca," he said. "And I don't sleep at three so I have seen them many times.

"They are one of the best teams in South America. We had a very competitive game with them at Old Trafford three years ago."

PEREZ WANTS REAL DEPARTURES

Florentino Perez has admitted Real Madrid's squad is now too large and is looking to sell players before making any more signings.

Club president Perez has funded an incredible spending spree this summer, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema all arriving at the Bernabeu.

Real have been linked with other new arrivals, including Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso, but Perez is more concerned about reducing numbers now the squad has crept above the Spanish limit of 25 players.

"I will not speak about specific players. We made strategic signings very quickly and that meant that we suddenly had a huge number of players with 29 here," Perez told AS.

"We are trying to find other teams for those players who will not play a lot for us, but we have not yet managed to do that.

"For any more players to come then some will have to leave. It is not a problem of money, it is the fact that we can only have 25."

Real's main rivals Barcelona have responded this week with a major signing of their own, having brought in Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Inter Milan.

Perez insists he is excited by the transfer rather than intimidated, saying: "It is good for Madrid if great players join the league and Ibrahimovic is one of those.

"It is close to what we paid for Kaka and Cristiano, but I am not offended by the critics.

"That Ibrahimovic has joined is good for the league because that means that the best in the world will play here. I want to congratulate Barcelona because he will be good for them both on the sporting side and the profit side."