LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham will be joining AC Milan on loan again from January 2010 the club confirmed.

Former England captain Beckham had been strongly linked with a second loan spell with the Rossoneri to improve his chances of making Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad.

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani claimed last week an announcement was imminent - and it has been confirmed on the club’s official website on Monday evening.

Beckham moved to the San Siro during Major League Soccer’s off-season last January, initially on a three-month loan deal, but impressed so much his stay was extended until the end of the Serie A campaign.

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Los Blancos have been shocked to the core by Segunda B neighbors Alcorcon by losing 4 - 0 in Copa del Rey on one of the most embarrassing nights in Madrid’s distinguished footballing history.

It was a display of poise, attacking quality, hunger and a will to win from the heroic home side who secured the most memorable night in their 38 year history as a shambolic, disorganised Madrid looked like footballing minnows.

The first half well and truly belonged to the hosts, who dominated Real Madrid from start to finish and the three goal interval lead could have been more as the visitors looked more like the Segunda B side.

Sergio Mora, Ruben Sanz, and Borja all put Jerzy Dudek to the test before Alcorcon eventually took a deserved lead after just 15 minutes as Borja Gomez skipped past the challenge of Mali international Mahamadou Diarra before clipping the ball past the Polish stopper to send the home support into raptures.

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Barcelona have started talks with their star striker Lionel Messi to upgrade his current contract. “Relations between the two sides are very good,” club president Joan Laporta said.

Messi’s entourage “knows that Barca want the player to feel good here… We are proud to have him in the team because he is the best player in the world.”

The negotiations are continuing “at a good pace,” he said.

The 22-year-old is under contract with Barca until 2010. His salary is estimated at eight million euros per year.

Coach Pep Guardiola said meanwhile said that the arrival of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic will help keep Messi on his toes, and that’s what he needs.

“If Leo isn’t under pressure, he gets bored,” he said.

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Alvaro Arbeloa have signed a 5-year contract with Real Madrid.

The 26-year-old Arbeloa passed a medical on Wednesday in Madrid
before completing his £3.5 million transfer
from Liverpool.

“The results of every test are very satisfactory,” Dr Carlos
Diez said. “He is delighted about playing for Real Madrid. It’s
always been his dream. He can’t wait to join his teammates.”

Arbeloa becomes the club’s seventh offseason signing, after
Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Negredo
and Esteban Granero.

“Arbeloa’s versatility allows him to play anywhere in defence,”
Madrid said on their website. “He is a very regular and consistent
player who thrives in one-on-ones.”

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Chelsea striker Didier Drogba believes John Terry will turn down a move to rivals Manchester City.

Terry has been linked with a move to Manchester City all summer, despite Chelsea denying that that they are interested in selling their captain.

Terry played the whole match when the Blues won 2-0 over Inter Milan at the Rose Bowl in California this morning.

“He’s our captain and we need him and we know he’s going to stay with us and win more trophies,” Drogba told ESPN.

Drogba added, on facing former boss Jose Mourinho: “It’s always nice to see him, he was a big part of Chelsea’s success and now we’re moving on.

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Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini says the Portuegese star Christiano Ronaldo does not have star mentality.

“He’s as I expected him to be. He is the first to arrive at a training session, he has fully integrated into the squad, he doesn’t act as a star,” he said Sunday during his first post-training press conference as Real’s new coach.

“He is a very talented but normal player who is devoted to Real Madrid. His image is very different to how he is as a player.”

Real signed the player from Manchester United last month on a six-year deal worth around 94 million euros (131 million dollars) and he will reportedly be paid 13 million euros each season, making him the most expensive player in the world.

The 24-year-old was officially unveiled before some 75,000 ecstatic Real fans on July 6 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

He had to be hurried away when spectators leapt over security barriers to try to get an autograpah.

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Cristiano Ronaldo was presented to a near-capacity crowd of 80,000 at Real Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium after completing the formalities of his £80m world record move to Real Madrid.

An estimated 50,000-strong crowd - almost three times the anticipated number - turned up to watch the ceremony at the Bernabeu stadium as Kaka was unveiled as Madrid’s latest addition by club president Florentino Perez and honorary president Alfredo di Stefano.

Sources:     dailymail.co.uk       zimbio.com 

Valencia striker David Villa has been talking with Barcelona about a move to the UEFA  Champions Leugue winners, Spanish media said on Thursday.

“I only want to go to Barca,” Villa told Barcelona’s technical director Txiqui Begiristain at a secret meeting, the Catalan sports paper Mundo Deportivo said.

He said “that there are only two alternatives: to agree on his transfer to Barca or he is ready to see out his contract with Valencia,” the daily Sport reported.

It said the 27-year-old has rejected interest from Chelsea and from Barca’s arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Barcelona, who have won a unique treble of league, Spanish cup and European Champions League trophies last season, are ready to offer Villa contract of four or five years, said Mundo Deportivo.

Source: supersport.co.za

Pic: koptalkinsider.wordpress.com

David Beckham, on-loan LA Galaxy star might be staying at AC Milan on a timeshare agreement.

The future of the England international is reportedly close to being concluded, but AC Milan chief Adriani Galliani told the club’s official website: ”I have read that everything is resolved but that is not the case. The deal is not resolved.

”We are in fact working on the possibility that he remains on loan until June 30 but no agreement has been reached.”

On Monday, Galliani confirmed the club’s intention to sign Beckham, but revealed their idea was now to extend his loan until June - after which point he will return to LA Galaxy, and then in January he will join the club for free as he has a clause in his contract which allows him to leave the MLS in November.

“I hope I succeed in sorting it out that he stays until 30th June,” Galliani told the club’s television station. “After that he can go back to Los Angeles, before returning to us next January.

“That is what we are trying to do. It is complicated as we always knew it would be, but we are still trying.”

Galaxy have insisted that Beckham will return to the States on March 9, but the player has already publicly confirmed his desire to stay in Italy beyond his current loan agreement.

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The vice-precident of AC Milan Adriano Galliani has insisted that his club won’t increase their reported offer of three million dollars to Los Angeles Galaxy to permanently sign on-loan midfielder David Beckham.

Galaxy chief Tim Leiweke had described the offer for the 33-year-old former England captain as ridiculous but Galliani is playing hard-ball.

Speaking to the Gazzetta dello Sport on Saturday, he said there would be no compromise.

“Milan have made an offer that is fair for what is essentially an eight-month loan deal because, as Leiweke said himself, David can leave for nothing on November 30,” said Galliani.

“I don’t want to cause any problems, quite the contrary, I want to thank Galaxy for loaning us Beckham these last months.”

However, the reported three million dollars on the table will not be increased, despite Galaxy apparently holding out for a figure nearer 12 million dollars.

“Absolutely not. I have a lot of experience with regards the price of players,” added Galliani when asked if Milan would increase their bid.

“And from a point of view regarding the European parameters, there’s no sense in spending any more.

“In the States they look at the commercial aspect. But in Europe transfers are done for technical reasons.

“I’m already at the limit of the budget at my disposal.”

Gazzetta claims that the budget mentioned by Galliani includes not only the transfer fee but also the conditions of Beckham’s contract offer until June 2010.

Galliani’s comments will not be well received in Los Angeles after Leiweke told Gazzetta just 24 hours earlier that he was determined not to let Beckham go on the cheap.

“Two weeks ago Milan made a ridiculous offer that took me just a few seconds to reject,” he said of the reported three million dollar bid.

“With this figure Galaxy wouldn’t even be able to cover the loss in revenue from shirt sales.

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