THE old adage that money can't buy love comes to mind almost as soon as the headlines swirled around Manchester City's jaw-dropping bid to land Kaka, AC Milan's recently-dethroned World Footballer of the Year.
If reports are to be believed, the oil-rich Premiership side are set to tempt the Serie A club by putting 100 million euros on the table for the Brazilian forward.
It is a bid of seismic proportions - and not just because it eclipses the record 48 million pounds Real Madrid paid for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.
It is the first time a football club of such modest repute, albeit recently enriched, has made a serious attempt to pry a superstar footballer from a club of Milan's stature.
Should the deal go through, however, it will likely end in tears for both club and player.
For Manchester City, it could be a case of biting off more than you can chew. Despite the acquisition of Robinho in the summer, City is still languishing in the relegation zone of the Premier League, and barring a minor miracle, is unlikely to enhance its reputation this season.
Robinho's indifferent performances thus far, is proof that one star does not make an entire team shine. As long as the likes Nedum Onuoha and Pablo Zabaleta continue to underperform, even Kaka will find it hard to spin results from Mark Hughe's spluttering team.
What City needs, is half a dozen astute buys in the vein of young guns like Lyon's Karim Benzema or Valencia's David Silva, who have yet to reach the zenith of their careers and ambitions. The price tag for Kaka alone, will bankroll at least three such buys.
In Kaka's case, surely money cannot be the most important consideration for a player who, at 140,000 pounds a week, is already the highest paid in the Serie A.
And with success likely to elude City for at least another season or two, can a player of his standing afford to wait on the sidelines for Champions League football?
City and Kaka do not need each other yet. For both their sakes, let's hope common sense prevails.