AC Milan has not yet made any decision on a possible transfer of its Brazilian attacking midfielder Kaka, according to the club's owner, Premier Silvio Berlusconi.
Speaking by phone on a morning TV talk show, Berlusconi explained that ''I have been busy with the (European) election campaign and so I asked Kaka and (club CEO Adriano) Galliani not to make any decision until we have a chance to all have dinner together. I think I'll invite them Monday night''.
Asked whether Milan fans will have to resign themselves to seeing Kaka leave, the premier replied: ''I am among those who would like to see Kaka stay. But at Milan we have a method which we have used in other occasions.
''(Ukrainian Andriy) Shevchenko is an example. Here was a player who was very attached to Milan and very attached to me personally. I am his children's godfather and I helped him through many difficult situations in his life. His father is alive today because he had a heart transplant in Italy. Thus there was a very strong bond of affection.
''Well, when someone offered Shevchenko some very serious money which we could not match, because we would have had to raise other salaries as well and put the club in financial difficulty, we said: 'Sheva, do want you want to do'.
''And this is the same way we have to handle Kaka. We have the highest esteem and affection for him, but he will get no special treatment,'' the premier explained.
While it was clear that the door was open if Kaka wanted to leave, Berlusconi said his club had every intention of holding on to superstars like Brazilian teenage striker Pato, Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf and Italy midfielder Andrea Pirlo.
The premier also implied that there was no problem replacing Kaka because ''all the players in the world want to come to Milan''.
Although the club and the Brazilian player have not confirmed the transfer, the press considers the move a done deal with Milan said to have agreed to a world record bid from Madrid.
The Italian and Spanish press have said Real has signed Kaka for 68 million euros in a deal that will only be announced after the European elections, out of alleged fears of political fall-out against Berlusconi.
PROTESTS CONTINUE.
Meanwhile, protests by Milan fans over the transfer continued on Thursday including messages against club executives on fan sites and blogs and a message sprayed in red paint on the club's offices in central Milan, saying: ''Milan is ours''.
