Stuttgart and Germany striker Cacau has signed a one-year contract extension with the Bundesliga club, even though he is not expected to play again this season.
The 31-year-old tore cruciate knee ligaments in October and needed further surgery recently, ruling him out for a further few months, but he hopes to return for the start of next season stronger than ever.
"Stuttgart has been my home for almost a decade and I have celebrated huge sporting successes and fantastic moments here," he said.
"My first goal is to get fit again as quickly as possible to be able to give it my very best next season."
Cacau joined Stuttgart from Nurnberg in 2003 and has played a total of 242 times for the club.
"Cacau will be going into his 11th season with Stuttgart in the summer and that is an incredibly long time in the football world," said the club's director of sport Fredi Bobic on their website.
"He will be able to help us further with all of his experience, so we're pleased to be able to plan with him also for the coming season."
Captain Doug Loft is expected to go straight back into the Port Vale starting line-up on his return from suspension.
Loft has missed the last three matches and is the obvious choice to replace fellow midfielder Chris Birchall, who is away on international duty with Trinidad & Tobago.
Manager Micky Adams will also be boosted by the return of full-backs Richard Duffy and Dan Jones as he looks to get Vale back on track at Vale Park, where they have lost three times during a four-game winless run, against the Football League's bottom team.
Right-back Duffy comes back into the reckoning after a virus and left-back Jones is fit again following a knee injury.
However, veteran centre-half Darren Purse and the versatile Rob Taylor look set to miss out along with suspended midfielder Sam Morsy, who completes a two-match ban.
Purse has missed the last two matches with a calf strain while Taylor broke a bone in his hand in training this week.
Winger Ashley Vincent remains sidelined with the ankle injury he suffered against Bristol Rovers on March 12 but the problem is not as bad as initially feared and he is expected to return before the end of the season.
Anthony Tonkin hopes to return to the fold for Aldershot but Lionel Ainsworth will play no part after his loan spell came to an end.
Left-back Tonkin has missed the last three matches due to a side injury but is back in training as the Shots aim to haul themselves off the foot of the npower League Two table.
One player who will not be involved, however, is attacking midfielder Ainsworth who, having started Aldershot's last two games, has been recalled by parent club Rotherham.
Defender Troy Brown is back in training after being sidelined for over a month with an ankle injury but the game comes too soon for him.
Striker Danny Hylton is also making good progress with his knee injury but it is not yet known when he will return to contention.
