One of the biggest questions entering Orlando City’s offseason is whether $7-million man Kaká will return for 2018.

Orlando City has made the team captain and former FIFA Ballon d’Or winner an offer for next season, according to CEO Alex Leitão.

“Yeah, he talked to me and expressed his desire to play another year,” Leitão told the Orlando Sentinel Thursday. “We gave him an offer and now he’s with his family...I think he’s thinking about the offer we gave him and we’re just waiting for a response. So, we’re in negotiations.”

Leitão chuckled a little at the word negotiations because, to him, Kaká is a friend of 16 years and the negotiations are more like conversations.

“So, more about, ‘Hey man, this is it, you have to understand. OK, let me think about it and get back to you.’ This is how we do things,” Leitão said. “At the end of the day, it has to be good for him and for the club to stay. If it’s not going to be good for one of the parties, it’s not going to happen and we’ll both understand. It’s a friendship, and a guy that I respect a lot. So, I’ll always be cheering for him and wishing him the best. Again, he has to look for his interests and I have to look for the interests of the club. Hopefully, both interests are aligned. That would be great.”

Details of the offer were not disclosed and when asked about a timeline for Kaká’s response, Leitão said he’d prefer to keep that internal.

Kaká said many times he wants to stay in Orlando but that he would wait until closer to the end of the season to make a decision. It is likely any new contract would be significantly smaller than his current league-leading $7.167 million salary.

There also have been rumors of him returning to hometown team São Paulo to finish his career or retiring altogether.

The Brazilian superstar brought instant recognition and relevancy to Orlando City when it joined Major League Soccer in 2017. He is one of the most followed people in the world on social media with 28.3 million Twitter followers and was named to the 2017 ESPN World Fame 100 list. He also has one of the league’s top-selling jerseys each year.

On the pitch, he’s drawn criticism for multiple injuries, despite leading the team in assists each year and finishing in the top three for goals.

He started and played in 28 of 34 games in 2015, scoring nine goals and seven assists. Last year, he started 23 of 24 appearances for nine goals and 10 assists, and this season he has 17 starts in 22 appearances, six goals and five assists with two regular-season games left.

Orlando City will close out the season with a home match against the Columbus Crew on Oct. 15 and a road finale in Philadelphia Oct. 22.

ardelgallo@orlandosentinel.com