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Galaxy: Milan have lost Beckham!
Saturday 14 February, 2009

LA Galaxy have ended negotiations for David Beckham to remain at Milan. "He will be back here on March 9 and we don't want to entertain any more conversations now.”

The Rossoneri had always said they had until March 9, the expiry of the loan deal, to work out a permanent move, but the MLS Commissioner Don Garber set Friday as the deadline.

"He will be back here on March 9 and we don't want to entertain any more conversations now," AEG President Tim Leiweke told the LA Times late Friday night.

"It is a distraction to [Galaxy Coach] Bruce Arena, the team and the fans and we move on. That's the last we're going to talk about this."

Milan are reportedly ready to raise their initial £5m to £10m, but Leiweke insists no figure will be enough now.

"They'll come back. Sure they will. But we owe it to our fans [not to consider it]. They've been reading all these stories and we lose credibility by the day.

“That's not fair. We owe it to Bruce and we owe it to the rest of the team. We're a month away from our season.

"They've never been in the ballpark. What they've tried to do is use David and use us. We're not going to play that game any more.

“This has been extremely damaging and distracting for our team. I've been as courteous and as gracious as I possibly can out of respect for David, but now it's time to move on.

“We need to get David excited about the team we're building here and coming back."

It is unlikely, as the England international has made it clear on numerous occasions that he wants a permanent switch to San Siro in order to target the 2010 World Cup.

This means any hope of a transfer has been dashed, but Beckham has still got his lawyers looking at ways to buy himself out of his Galaxy contract.

"I doubt it," Leiweke said. "I don't think that's his intent. Nor would I encourage him to even think about that."


Galaxy in crunch Becks talks
There are reports that LA Galaxy and Milan will not decide on David Beckham’s future until next week, despite the MLS deadline. More

Beckham deadline approaches
Time is running out for Milan to seal a permanent deal with LA Galaxy for David Beckham, as Paolo Maldini and the MLS urge a quick solution. More

Milan to increase Becks bid
There are reports that Milan are ready to up their bid for David Beckham and LA Galaxy boss Bruce Arena admits a large offer will be considered. More



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Pictures: Richiardi (Milan)
& Getty Images (UK)


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