Report: Kaka to Red Bulls is Dead

The Red Bulls and Kaka have been flirting for a while now.

The New York side need some creativity in their midfield and the Brazilian is (slowly) on his way out at Real Madrid after four years in the Spanish capital. Last season, Erik Soler reportedly submitted the largest offer for Kaka, but Madrid turned it down. Reports that the Red Bulls were working on bringing him over spilled into this year, but there wasn't a whole lot of tangible reports putting Kaka in white.

Now, we can declare the chase for Kaka over with. Brian Lewis at the New York Post reports, through league sources, that the "deal is dead."

More revelations...

The source cautioned that things could always change quickly, but added that the Red Bulls have undergone something of a philosophical shift away from the long litany of aging stars they've signed in the past. It's a shift that might prove very welcome to their fans.

After watching the likes of Sporting KC and Real Salt Lake and Houston build their teams over a number of seasons, the Red Bulls are looking to emulate that and do the same in their quest for the MLS Cup.

"There is more value in a 27 or 28-yeat-old, someone who can contribute for several years,'' the source continued. And value is the operative word.

We've argued in the past that the Red Bulls don't necessarily need a third designated player, and it seems like if they get one, it won't be of the aging variety. These are good things, no matter how talented Kaka is.