Real to hijack Beckham deal

This article is more than 21 years old Old Trafford agreement with Barcelona is angrily rejected Daniel Taylor Wed 11 Jun 2003 02.03 BST

Real Madrid will open negotiations with Manchester United about the purchase of David Beckham early next week, after the results of Barcelona's presidential election are known. The outcome should be clear on Monday and Real will then formally start their attempts to bring Beckham to the Bernabeu. They have already held informal talks with United and the England captain's advisers and hope to conclude a deal swiftly. Real have been waiting silently in the wings while Joan Laporta, the Barcelona presidential candidate, has been talking to United about Beckham but they are confident of signing the midfielder. They are aware that Beckham has no interest in joining Barcelona, who will not play in the Champions League next season and may not even qualify for the Uefa Cup. A furious Beckham made clear yesterday that he felt he had been used as a "political pawn" in the club's election campaign. He said he was "disappointed and surprised" that United had accepted a conditional offer from Barcelona in the region of £25m. If everything progresses as Real intend, they and United will issue a statement next week confirming that they are in negotiations and Beckham will make clear that there was only one club he ever considered joining if he left Old Trafford - Real Madrid. Real have not settled on a fee with United but believe they can meet the Premiership champions' demands and agree personal terms with Beckham. It is expected that he would play in the centre of Real's midfield, with Luis Figo remaining on the right and Zinedine Zidane continuing to play a loose role from the left. In a day of highly political developments which have left Beckham at an uneasy standoff with his employers, the England captain responded to United's announcement that a deal with Barcelona was close to being concluded by insisting he would not entertain a move there. His advisers released a statement saying: "David is very disappointed and surprised to learn of the club's statement. David's advisers have no plans to meet Mr Laporta or his representatives." United's announcement took Beckham's agents SFX by surprise and infuriated the player. The announcement was uncharacteristically rash for a club who are obsessive about keeping transfers secret. It is equally peculiar that they should enter into such comprehensive negotiations with a man who is not yet elected to a position of power and indeed may never be. United are making certain that, wherever Beckham goes, there will have been enough competition for his signature to ensure a proper price will be paid. The corollary is that the ultimate destination will be chosen by Beckham - and Barcelona are unlikely to fit the bill. Apart from their absence from the Champions League, they have also fared less well domestically. Whereas United have won the Premiership seven years out of the past 10, Barcelona have been successful in La Liga in only three of the past 10 years. Yesterday's calculated statement from Old Trafford was timed deliberately not only to increase Laporta's chances of winning Barcelona's elections, making the transfer more likely, but to let other clubs - namely Milan and Madrid - know that if they want Beckham they need to move quickly. Sir Alex Ferguson has left the transfer negotiations to United's chief executive Peter Kenyon but his one request is that Beckham is out of Old Trafford before his autobiography is serialised this summer. It has also emerged that Beckham's departure would not provoke the level of disquiet in United's dressing room that might have been anticipated. Roy Keane is among those who, like Ferguson, disapproves of Beckham's extravagant lifestyle. Nevertheless, Beckham has two years of his contract remaining and can refuse to go anywhere. But it would not be beyond Ferguson to ostracise him and the last thing Beckham wants is for his 14-year association with the club, comprising five Premiership championship medals, two FA Cups and one European Cup, to be remembered for its shabby ending rather than all the highs. United's statement emphasised that the transfer was "subject to a number of conditions, critically Mr Laporta being elected president on Sunday and Barcelona subsequently reaching agreement with David Beckham on his personal contract". However, Laporta told Spanish journalists yesterday that even if he is not elected on Sunday - out of six candidates it has become a straight contest between him and Lluis Bassat - he will pass the transfer details to the club. "I am sure when he sees the Nou Camp he will want to come here and when he comes back from holiday on Saturday we will talk to the player," he said. "If I am not elected president I will turn over the transfer to the man who does win." Beckham would much prefer discussions with Kenyon and Ferguson, although the manager is on holiday in France until the end of the month. Kenyon will try to convince Beckham it would be better for him to go quietly, and that Barcelona are not necessarily a step down. If the 28-year-old changes his mind he will be thrust into the surreal position of lining up against United within a matter of weeks - Ferguson's team take on Barcelona in a showpiece match in Philadelphia on August 3. As Beckham's father Ted said last night: "It's all a bit of a mess." Laporta's campaign, page 28 Explore more on these topics ●Football ●news

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