Mark Hughes is confident that Kaka will join Manchester City when he learns of the club's grand ambitions.

Milan confirmed on Thursday they were considering a £107million bid for the former world footballer of the year and, privately, City owner Sheikh Mansour is confident the offer will be accepted. Speculation in Italy has indicated that the player will stay at the San Siro as he believes the club cannot match his ambition, but Hughes does not feel there will be a problem. ''We are all working to the same end; trying to be successful on a regular basis,'' he said. ''You do that by bringing good players to the club to supplement those we already have. ''It is not something that will happen overnight and we have to let people understand what we are trying to do and understand where this club will go in the next few years. ''Once they understand that and recognise the people driving it forward they will become excited by what we can offer.'' Kaka's spokesman Diogo Kotscho admitted that although a deal was not close the Rossoneri had granted permission to open talks. "Milan has authorised the negotiation with Manchester City," he told AP. "The next step now is that Kaka's father will eventually talk to Manchester City. "It's an exaggeration what they are saying in England that it's almost a done deal and it's an exaggeration that Kaka has rejected the offer. ''I have no idea whether he will end up here,'' admitted Hughes. ''It is dependent on too many factors. However, people should not think this is just being done on a whim. ''(Executive chairman) Garry Cook, (chairman) Khaldoon al-Mubarak and I have discussed this for numerous months and Kaka was in our thoughts right from the outset. ''It is not something we have only thought of in the last week and decided to act and it would be naive of people to think I have not been involved in the process. ''It has moved forward at a pace this week. It is a football decision that has been done with a structure and an understanding that we can move it forward.''

Roy Keane has left his position as manager of Sunderland

Sunderland confirmed the departure of Keane on Thursday, with players and staff at the Stadium of Light also informed. "Roy's decision sums up his desire to always do what is best for the club, despite the club's efforts to keep him," said chairman Niall Quinn. "Roy deserves huge respect for his contribution and the manner in which he guided the club from the depths of the Championship back to the Premier League. "His winning mentality and singled mindedness were just what this club needed. Even in his departure he has been more concerned for the welfare of the players and his staff than himself. "The board has reluctantly accepted his decision and wish him and his family well for the future." The Black Cats are 18th in the Premier League and have lost five of their last six games. Sunderland's latest defeat came against Bolton on Saturday, with the Black Cats losing 4-1. "I ask myself every day if I'm the right man for Sunderland," he said after that defeat. "I asked myself this morning, and I said I was. Sunday morning, if the answer's no, we'll have to look at it." Keane had been locked in talks over a new deal, which he had refused to sign until he was fully happy with the terms. The former Manchester United skipper took charge in August 2006 and he made an immediate impact as he led Sunderland to the Championship title the following May. Last season the club consolidated their place in the top flight and Sunderland backed Keane in the close season by spending nearly £30million on new players with the likes of Djibril Cisse, Pascal Chimbonda, Anton Ferdinand, El-Hadji Diouf and George McCartney all coming to the Stadium of Light. However, despite a morale-boosting Wear-Tyne victory over rivals Newcastle, Sunderland's form and place in the league has plummeted, prompting the crowd to boo the team in recent weeks. During his 12-year career at Old Trafford he earned himself a fearsome reputation as a no-nonsense tough-tackling midfielder. Keane also had spells at Nottingham Forest and Celtic, winning 66 caps for his country.

Ajax hold talks over Huntelaar move

Ajax has confirmed that they are holding talks with Spanish giants Real Madrid over a sale of star striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar.
Reports on Monday suggested that the two clubs had agreed a deal, but the Dutch side denies that.
A statement read: “Ajax are in talks with Real Madrid over the possible sale of Klaas Jan Huntelaar to the Spanish club.
“However no deal has been agreed at the moment.”
It is believed Real Madrid will have to pay around £20million for the highly rated Holland international.
Real are keen on strengthening their attack, as Ruud van Nistelrooy will be out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.