Champs Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 David Beckham transfered to Barcelona. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Check out the other thread on this. Until the elections are over, Barcelona, effectively, does not exist. Next Monday the new president will make his moves and we'll see things more clearly. BTW it seems that the other key candidate Bassat will make an offer to Ajax for coach Koeman, and that could swing the election back his way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Not so fast, Champs. Man U says it's only a conditional agreement, conditional on the upstart winning the Baca election and Beckham agreeing to terms (and probably Posh finding a good school for the wee ladz). A long way to a done deal. A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. -- Winston Churchill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beachesl Posted June 11, 2003 Share Posted June 11, 2003 AP: Beckham resists deal to Barcelona By ROBERT MILLWARD, AP Sports Writer June 10, 2003 LONDON (AP) -- David Beckham will determine where he plays, and he seems ready to veto a deal that would send the Manchester United star to Barcelona. The two European powers Tuesday agreed on a sale for the world's most famous soccer player. Beckham first must give approval, and there is little indication he will do so. The deal is contingent on Beckham agreeing to contract terms and Joan Laporta winning Sunday's election as president of the Barcelona club. ADVERTISEMENT ``David is very disappointed and surprised to learn of this statement and feels that he has been used as a political pawn in the Barcelona presidential elections,'' said SFX, his management company. As is customary in transfers, no fee was disclosed by Manchester United. Newspaper reports have said any bid for Beckham would have to be at least $48 million. Beckham said he has no plans to meet with Laporta. Sidelined with a broken wrist, Beckham and wife Victoria, a former Spice Girl, are in Los Angeles. ``If I am not elected president, I would turn over the transfer to the man who does win,'' Laporta said at a news conference at Barcelona. Another candidate in Sunday's election, Josep Martinez-Rovira, has no interest in landing the England captain. ``Beckham is a media signing and more of a dream than reality. He is a player we would never try to sign,'' Martinez-Rovira told Spanish radio. He said the 28-year-old midfielder passes well but does not score enough. ``Beckham makes a lot of news off the pitch, but we're not interested in appearing in gossip columns,'' he said. Sandro Rosell, Laporta's campaign manager, thinks there are ``big possibilities'' of making the deal if Laporta is elected. ``We did not talk to the player first because the first thing was to talk to the club,'' Rosell told Sky Sports News. Beckham's father, Ted, knows where he would like his son to play. ``I want him to stay at Manchester United,'' he said. Beckham's future has the subject of speculation for months. Another Spanish club, Real Madrid, and the Italian teams AC Milan and Internazionale also have been linked to a possible sale. Beckham has helped Manchester United win six of its eight league titles in 11 years and the European Champions Cup in 1999. He has been at Manchester United for almost 13 years, including its youth teams. Before Tuesday's announcement, Beckham had told the Los Angeles Times he was happy to stay at Manchester United but had never said he would remain there for good. Beckham is paid a reported $143,000 a week at Manchester United. He is worth $79.5 million, according to a recent survey of Britain's richest people in The Sunday Times. He has a myriad of endorsements and is featured on billboards and magazine covers around the world. If the deal goes through, Beckham could face his old team Aug. 3 when Manchester United plays Barcelona in an exhibition game in Philadelphia. Barcelona also plays European champion AC Milan on July 30 at Washington's RFK Stadium. The English club's U.S. tour is aimed at enhancing its profile in a country where soccer takes a back seat to other sports. Beckham is getting even more visibility of late in the British film ``Bend it Like Beckham,'' with the title based on his trademark ability to curl a free kick over a wall of defenders. Although Manchester United is soccer's wealthiest team, it cannot afford to buy players without trying to balance the books. ``There will always be changes at a team like Man United,'' Beckham has said. Beckham has dismissed suggestions of a rift with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson. Ferguson left his star on the bench several times last season. In the locker room after one loss, Ferguson kicked a soccer shoe that accidentally struck Beckham above the left eye. ``Despite what many people say about me and Sir Alex Ferguson, he's been a father figure to me,'' Beckham said. Updated on Tuesday, Jun 10, 2003 10:27 pm EDT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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