With his five year contract with the LA Galaxy completed, David Beckham is free to negotiate with whomever he pleases. His loudest suitor has been Paris St.-Germain, who in the past few days have told the French press their deal with Beckham is 99% done. However, as the movie The Damned United illustrated, that means they don't have a signature.
The deal they're so sure he would take was reportedly 800,000 Euros a month for 18 months. That's quite a lot to pay for a 36 year old midfielder, even if he is stil one the best free kick takers in the game. Le Parisien came down a bit from that figure when their Wednesday paper finally went to print; 670,000 Euros per month.
Still, Beckham's handlers were adamant that no deal had been reached. "There has been no agreement reached with any club. Any talk of a deal is premature. David is yet to make a decision."
The hardest part in analyzing these rumors is figuring out motivation. Is Beckham's camp simply wary of being seen coming to business terms before the transfer window officially opens? Is this simply a negotiating tactic, or is Beckham still seriously considering the LA Galaxy offer.
It came out Wednesday that new terms have been tabled in negotiations with the LA Galaxy and David Beckham. Most reports have been of a one year renewal, with the possibility of Beckham getting a management position at AEG after he retires. He already has the option to purchase an MLS team from his previous contract.
For parties on both sides of the pond, the negotiations are as much about image as they are football talent. David Beckham raised the global stature of the Galaxy over his five years, and sold a lot of shirts. PSG already has mockups of a Beckham shirt floating around.
Only Beckham knows where he'll end up. For the sake of the soccer fans who supported him in LA, hopefully his decision is announced soon.