News on Beckham.
Manchester United has issued a statement confirming that clubs from Italy and Spain have "expressed a firm interest" in signing David Beckham.
The England captain has been persistently linked with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona and with Italian Champions League winners AC Milan.
United's statement read: "Manchester United can confirm today that clubs from Italy and Spain have expressed a firm interest in signing David Beckham.
"David's advisers, SFX, have also been approached by clubs independently and we are in regular and close contact with them regarding the status of those discussions, which are ongoing.
"David has been kept informed while on holiday."
Beckham has two years left on his contract at Old Trafford and has said he wants to stay, though the club may well be tempted to sell him if they receive a bid of something like £30m.
Reports in Spain and Italy suggest that interest from Real Madrid and Inter has cooled.
But Joan Laporta, who hopes to become Barcelona's next president, has said he would like to hire Beckham and told reporters on Saturday that his talks with Manchester United were "progressing well". |