Serie A - Milan 'to sign Beckham on loan'

Eurosport - Wed, 22 Oct 19:32:00 2008

AC Milan have claimed they will sign David Beckham on loan from LA Galaxy in January.

2008 La Galaxy David Beckham - 0

Beckham was expected to train with the Italian giants this winter, having done so with Arsenal earlier in 2008, but Milan vice president Adriano Galliani said he will play for them in competitive matches.

"Beckham wants to train and play with Milan. We want him," Galliani said.

"He will arrive in January and we will sign him for the rest of the season. It's not just a shop window deal, it's a great deal."

Coach Carlo Ancelotti added: "It will be a pleasure for me. Beckham is a serious athlete, a great professional. If he is available for four months with us we will be very happy.

"If he become available for Milan, it will obviously be in Italy and in Europe."

A spokesman for the player confirmed that talks were in progress but added that "as yet nothing has been confirmed".

Beckham plays his final game of the US season on Sunday, with Los Angeles having failed to reach the playoffs.

The length of the loan could prove a sticking point. If Milan take Beckham until the end of the European season in May, he would miss six weeks of the 2009 MLS campaign - an unthinkable scenario considering the massive sum spent on acquiring his services.

The 33-year-old is keen to maintain his form and fitness during the close season, in order to further his bid to remain in the England squad until the 2010 World Cup.

Manager Fabio Capello has made it clear that he will not pick Beckham unless he is playing regular first-team football, and left the midfielder out of his first squad in February for that reason.

Beckham won his 107th cap in the recent World Cup qualifier against Belarus, placing him third on the all-time list of England players behind Peter Shilton and Sir Bobby Moore.

Galliani added: "Football today is not just about tactics and technical abilities. It's about full stadiums and sponsors.

"The stadiums will only fill up with superstars like Beckham who has asked Milan for hospitality, not another club.

"With him, Kaka and Ronaldinho, it would be a dream team."

Milan are currently sixth in Serie A after recovering from a shaky start. They are not in the Champions League, having limped to a disappointing fifth-place league finish last season.

Beckham will compete for a first-team place with the likes of Kaka, Andrea Pirlo, Clarence Seedorf and Gennaro Gattuso, although Milan have no natural right-sided midfielder.

Alex Chick / Eurosport

Comment 172 - 191 of 191

Sort comments by: Most recent

  1. Good luck to Becks...
    A Man Utd living legend...
    Just a­ pity Posh messed with his head and his United career­ died...
    He's doing the right thing in dotch that­ stick of a woman...
    They used to live around the corner­ from me in Swinton...

    From RedBack, on Mon 2 Feb 5:19PM

  2. Ac Milan! an now he goes there.

    From Nath, on Tue 30 Dec 5:25PM

  3. Sells more jerseys and boots!! That's what Beckham­ is best at. He is way, way past his shelf life. This is­ what Beckham is good at now - selling jerseys for AC­ Milan. Stupido..!! No cervello..!1

    From rd4l23, on Sun 28 Dec 12:55AM

  4. beckham rock

    From kelvin_02181998, on Sat 25 Oct 10:05AM

  5. i love

    From kelvin_02181998, on Sat 25 Oct 7:51AM

  6. as a milan fan i don't think he can help the team­ much. his crosses are good but don't really fit­ milan's style of play.
    so he's just going to­ warm the bench-bad move for him too as he wanted to­ imrove his game fitness. although i don't really­ like him so i dont care about that.

    From menal, on Sat 25 Oct 5:22AM

  7. Beckham for MILAN???? I was great..I hope he will get­ his place and helps Milan to win the Serie A and UEFA­ cup..Good Luck..

    From A, on Sat 25 Oct 4:55AM

  8. bechem wears his heart on his sleeve and he loves­ playing for his country and a good captain also untill­ knobber MC'CLAREN took over and took the captaincy­ off him. the reason for that was payback time for­ ericsson listning to beckem before mc'claren

    From 'THE EDGE', on Fri 24 Oct 11:02PM

  9. the things clubs will do to sell shirts....

    From bobby1.penman, on Thu 23 Oct 2:25PM

  10. beckham fails

    From shizzelez, on Thu 23 Oct 8:41AM

  11. gotta give him credit for wanting to play for his­ country
    at least he aint sitting back and thinking hes­ got an automatic spot!! think about it...if hes­ starting and in milan team for a while then he will­ have played football year-round! mls plays in the­ summer!

    From dan9, on Thu 23 Oct 6:18AM

  12. Love him

    From emoreop98, on Thu 23 Oct 2:43AM

  13. Big up becks!

    From Eluive, on Wed 22 Oct 10:57PM

  14. monacomarville YOUR A TW-T

    From Russell P, on Wed 22 Oct 10:16PM

  15. he may be 33 but i bet he can run further than you fat­ p-ss heads
    get off this site if all you are going to­ do is slag beckham off and go eat some more pies

    From Russell P, on Wed 22 Oct 10:10PM

  16. The whole subject of David Beckham is rather boring­ now. He shall always have what you lot shall never see.­ And does he care about the ordinary man in the­ street...NO

    From sappercommando25, on Wed 22 Oct 9:31PM

  17. as a SCOT I can see why ENGLAND is falling apart, what­ sad bunch of twits some of you are! please get it­ through your deranged and twisted minds that David­ Beckham is without doubt one of the best English­ players ever to pull an English shirt on. His conduct­ on and off the pitch is beyond reproach. So instead of­ the rubbish some of you offer up against him why­ can't you pay tribute to his talent. Shame on the ­ so called English fans?????

    From REALIST, on Wed 22 Oct 9:21PM

  18. AMUSING! JUST BLOODY AMUSING!!!

    From dante, on Wed 22 Oct 9:17PM

  19. What a bill-board the city of Milan will have. Beckham­ in Giorgio Armani's underwear with red and black­ stripes! "Mutande in Rossoneri"

    From dante, on Wed 22 Oct 9:10PM

  20. oh how it hurts the little people ...becks triumphs­ again

    From gillian, on Wed 22 Oct 9:10PM
Sort comments by: Most recent

Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account