South American soccer stars Kaka and Carlos Tevez have indicated they will stay at their respective clubs despite being linked with big-money moves in the European close-season.
Brazil star Kaka has reportedly again been targeted by Tevez’s English side Manchester City, who wanted the former world player of the year before he moved to Spain from AC Milan in 2009.
And Tevez was expected to leave City, having asked for a transfer in January after citing his unhappiness at being so far away from his young family in their native Argentina.
Kaka has struggled to make an impact at the Santiago Bernabeu since his $92 million transfer, and missed the first four months of this season with a knee injury.
Newspaper reports have linked City, Milan and Chelsea — whose manager Carlo Ancelotti was his coach at the San Siro — with a potential bid for the 29-year-old, but he insists he wants to stay in Madrid.
“I want to stay at Real Madrid and I want to play for Real Madrid,” he said at a boot launch in quotes reported by the UK Press Association.
“My mother is coming to live in London next year. She is a preacher and she is coming to talk about God. But I have a challenge with Real Madrid. I don’t want to think now about playing in the Premier League or going back to Italy.
“I want to get back in good shape and play for Real Madrid next season. I have a good relationship with Carlo but the truth is that I want to stay in Madrid, I want to play in Madrid and I want to live in Madrid.”
Tevez had been linked with a move to Spain or Italy, but his manager Roberto Mancini said the striker had indicated he was happy to stay in Manchester after helping City qualify for the Champions League next season and end a 35-year wait for a trophy by winning the FA Cup on Saturday.
“I spoke with him many times in the last 20 days,” Mancini told reporters after his captain scored twice in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Stoke which lifted City above Arsenal into third place ahead of the final round.
“He has a five-year contract and he has told us he wants to stay. In December he had a problem but everyone can change his opinion. I don’t know what his representatives think.
“Carlos is an important player here. The feeling for him is good. Nowhere else can he find behavior that all people have for him.”
However, Mancini’s comments came after Tevez had cast more doubt over his future following Saturday’s 1-0 win over the same opposition at London’s Wembley Stadium.
“I want to make it clear that I don’t have any problem with Roberto Mancini, despite what people have written and said to the contrary,” the 25-year-old said.
“But I need to sit down with my family, because we need to make this decision together. I repeat, there is no problem with Mancini. It is a family thing. But really, I haven’t made a decision yet.”
Thank : cnn.com
