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Friday Kickoff: Kaka wants to leave Madrid; Schalke sign Boateng from Milan; and more

KakaRealMadrid5 (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

With just four days remaining in the summer transfer window, Real Madrid midfielder Kaka has reportedly decided it’s time to leave.

After considering leaving last winter but changing his mind at the last minute, the Brazilian former World Player of the year announced his intentions after Real Madrid’s 4-0 friendly victory against Deportivo La Coruña, in which Kaka scored twice.

“I want to leave. I think now is the right time for me and the club to part company amicably. I have spoken to Carlo Ancelotti and the club, everyone knows. My father is having talks with the club to find a solution,” Kaka told Spanish publication Marca. “Things are difficult for me in the team and the club knows what I want. It is my duty to work and keep on training, but my father is currently trying to see what might come up. Once again, I think this is the best thing for both myself and the club.”

Since moving to Madrid in the summer of 2009 for a reported €65 million, Kaka has had a difficult time becoming a key member of the squad, going from “the man” at AC Milan to just one of the guys with Los Blancos. Last season, Kaka made just 19 La Liga appearances for the club and six more in the UEFA Champions League, being left on the bench 20 times and nine times, respectively, in those competitions.

Here are some more stories to get your Friday moving:

SCHALKE ANNOUNCE SIGNING OF BOATENG

Just two days after his two-goal performance secured AC Milan a place in the Champions League group stages, Kevin-Prince Boateng has decided to move back home to Germany.

Schalke 04, who also this week earned a place in the Champions League group stages, announced the signing of the Ghanian international Boateng on Friday for a reported €10 million, handing the West Berlin-born attacking midfielder the No. 9 jersey for this season. The player completed his medical on Friday morning after arriving in Gelsenkirchen the night before.

“I’m delighted to join a club like Schalke 04,” Boateng said to Bundesliga.com. “The Bundesliga’s the best league in the world and the best players belong there. It was an easy decision for me. I’m happy to be home.”

Boateng moved to Milan in 2010 after spending three seasons in England, two of them with Tottenham and one with Portsmouth, with a loan spell to Borussia Dortmund in the middle. Prior to the move to England, Boateng played for his hometown club, Hertha Berlin, where he came up with his brother Jerome Boateng, currently with Bayern Munich.

Last season at Milan saw Boateng play the most matches he had since the move to Italy, 29 in Serie A, though he also was subject to racist abuse, and famously walked off the field in a January friendly with Pro Patria.

EVERTON REJECT SECOND MAN UNITED BID FOR DUO

Just like when David Moyes was in charge of Everton, the club are ready to play hardball against Moyes’ Manchester United.

Man United raised their bid by £8 million to £36 million for Everton pair Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines, but the bid was soundly rejected again by Everton chairman Bill Kenwright. Roberto Martinez, who took over for Moyes at Everton this summer, said that he does have a contingency plan ready in case Fellaini and Baines leave, but that the duo won’t leave Merseyside easily.

Neither Fellaini or Baines have submitted a transfer request to leave Everton, though Martinez said he understood that he could be dealing with a couple of frustrated and unhappy players if the transfer for them doesn’t go through.

QUICK KICKS

Just a season after leaving the club for Hoffenheim, Bayern Leverkusen has reacquired Eren Derdiyok, a Swiss forward, on a season-long loan deal. (REPORT)

Manchester United have made a bid for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera, although it’s below the player’s buy-out clause. (REPORT)

On Thursday afternoon Arsenal confirmed the signing of midfielder Mathieu Flamini on a free transfer. (REPORT)

Juventus have sold forward Alessandro Matri to rivals AC Milan for a reported €11 million. (REPORT)

Chelsea are nearing the signing of FC Porto winger Christian Atsu for £3.5 million. (REPORT)

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What do you think of these reports? Do you see Kaka leaving Madrid before the transfer window closes? Do you see Boateng being a star with Schalke 04? Do you see Fellaini and Baines moving to Man United?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. First of all KAKA wont come to red bull super coach, only if red bull had a better coach. So i see him in italy.
    Second of all, i see MLS parity and sucky rules loosing on KaKa, just like they lost ronaldinho, drogba, forlan, trezsegue, owen, raul, lampard and even now boateng.
    I think boaten would have been a nice DP.
    At the end of the day, MLS loves their parity and their 2022 master plan. MLS needs to realize, that soccer is the only sport in the world that can grow at any paste in any country, and there is no need for soccer master plan. I actually see chinas and japans league surpassing MLS by 2022 easily.

    Reply
    • You know who else would have been a great DP – Leighton Baines…oh wait, just like Boateng he was NEVER even considering coming to MLS. Nice list though. I see how it played out:

      MLS: “Kaka you wanna come play for us? There’s $10 mil a year in it for you?”
      Kaka: “Wow! $10 mil, huh? That’s nice. That’s nice. Very tempting, and I would love to…really? But I keep hearing aboout this thing…[speaks Portuguse to his Dad (his agent)]…yes this thing you call parity. I don’t like it. Goodbye.”

      Not having a go but, man, that was a heck of a stretch on that one there.

      Reply
  2. US soccer blows. I tried to buy tickets to the Jamaica game but I didn’t get in on the presale as I don’t have visa. Thousands of tickets are on stubhub right now. oh 2 or 3 thousand but ticketmaster is sold out. Lovely.

    Reply
  3. There are plenty of teams that would love to have Kaka but not at his current wages. The only reason he didn’t move a year or two ago is because he hasn’t been willing to take a pay cut. Unless he is willing to take one now he won’t be moving.

    Reply
  4. Always felt Kaka was overrated. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a very good player, but I never felt he lived up to the hype. He does have a great name, though.

    Reply
    • Well, to be fair, there was a two or three year period where he was one of the best in the world, but then he got injured and was never the same, but he also compounded that by going to a team where it was always going to be difficult fighting for time.

      Reply
    • Really? You must have missed the 2005 and 7 Champions League finals. I don’t want to spoil the endings, but Kaka was pretty darn good.

      Reply
  5. Boateng will be a major boost for Schalke and makes me wonder about the situation of Jermaine Jones, who is entering the last year of his contract. I would not be surprised to see Jones move before the transfer window closes Monday.

    Reply
    • Die Knappen basically need to hit the reset button on the start of their Bundesliga campaign and this, combined with a well-earned CL qualification, is a great way to do it. I have not heard any serious news about Jones going anywhere though – I think he plays out the season.

      Reply
      • He probably will but that is taking a huge risk on his part and at his age if has the chance to sign a two- or three-year contract someplace else I bet he would jumpt at it.

      • That could be, but it seems that Schalke already has at least two great attacking midfielder in Draxler and Farfan and other solid attackers And Boateng in the past has been a defensive midfielder, so I don’t think the positions of Jones and Boateng are so far apart as you infer. But you might be right and Boateng will take an attacking spot.

    • I think it would be cool if Jones ends up playing with Boateng. Both Germans born to fathers from another country and playing for that country. They have a lot in common. Maybe he’ll gain the mental edge and inside info we need to finally beat Ghana in a World Cup.

      Reply
    • Boateng won’t be in competition with Jones for a spot anyhow. Besides, you need depth in Champs League, which Schalke doesn’t have a ton of.

      Reply
    • not a chance he leaves until after this season. he’s been a staple at that club and they know he is gone next year anyway.

      Reply
  6. “Neither Fellaini or Baines have submitted a transfer request to leave Everton…”
    What does that mean? Fellaini and Baines haven’t requested to leave Everton, so why would they be frustrated to stay? Seems silly. Anyway, here’s hoping all future bids are soundly rejected during this window (and the next).

    Reply
    • Why is this silly? You are talking about a pay raise, playing for a higher profile and bigger club and playing in the UCL (hence more money).

      Yeah you’re right, no one ever got frustrated about being blocked from a potential promotion/pay raise.

      Reply
      • I am a Man United fan but don’t get me wrong – just like the Agudelo situattion Everton doesn’t have to sell if they don’t want/need to (and I am not saying that they should). But clearly one can see how the player(s) can get frustrated under those cricumstances.

    • Because as part of a transfer a player gets like 10 percent of the transfer fee. If you hand in a request, you basically waive your right to that transfer fee.

      Reply

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