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By IAN LADYMAN

Frank Lampard’s hopes of following David Beckham to the MLS could be dashed after it emerged LA Galaxy want to sign the Brazilian Kaka from Real Madrid.

Beckham plays his final game for Galaxy tomorrow when his team take on Houston in the MLS Cup Final here in Los Angeles.

The Galaxy have been exploring ways of bringing Chelsea midfielder Lampard to the club to fill the slot vacated by Beckham and revealed today that they have had talks with the 35-year-old, who is out of contract at Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

But today the man who persuaded Beckham to come to the States at the young age of 31 six years ago suggested that his preference was Kaka largely because he would give the club a profile among the Hispanic community in Los Angeles.

Tim Leiweke – the President of AEG, the company that owns the Galaxy, – told the Sports Illustrated website: ‘I’m very proud of the fact we have a lot of people that are interested in the Galaxy.

‘I’m a huge Frank Lampard fan, and I personally have great respect for him.

‘Ive gotten to spend some time with him, and he’s an unbelievably good guy. But is he the right fit for our team now for what we need?

‘Coach Bruce Arena and I happen to be on the same page about where we need to go next.

‘This next person has to be able to not only fit what Bruce needs on the pitch, but more importantly, we’re an ever-changing demographic in this marketplace, and we have to pay attention to that.

‘It’s critical that we do the one thing we have never been able to do yet with the Galaxy, although we’ve tried. There is a Hispanic Latino population base we have to go conquer, and we haven’t.

‘We’re well aware of Kaká’s interest in MLS, and we in turn have made it very clear to him that he’s aware of our interest in him.

‘We have a great relationship with Real Madrid, and just as we worked through a player with them six years ago [Beckham], I’m absolutely convinced we could find the right deal this time, too.’

 

 

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