A day after the Los Angeles Galaxy appeared to slam the door on a Beckham transfer to AC Milan now comes word from Milan that the Italian giants have come out and are basically ignoring the Galaxy's claims that the door is closed on a permanent Beckham move.
According to AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti, Milan is still very much in position to sign Beckham. Milan's chief executive, Adriano Galliani, went as far as to call the Galaxy's deadline a "tactic."
Who do you believe? Think AC Milan is being a bit arrogant, or are they simply seeing through the Galaxy's attempts to squeeze a large transfer fee out of Milan for Beckham? Is Milan trying to save face or are the Galaxy just trying to ease fears among season-ticket holders as the MLS season draws closer?
Share your thoughts on the latest from the Beckham soap opera in the comments section below.
I know TimN wasn’t meaning it this way, but the fact that LA WOULD play him injured and Milan would have him tucked up in the “Milan Lab” would be enough reason for Beckham to want to go to Italy.
Unfortunately I agree with the person who thought the two clubs are playing each other. Too bad for the player, teammates and fans of both clubs (who deserve resolution and plans for the future).
Re-injured the same old hamstring again…take home message- AC Milan, an aging club anyway, doesn’t need another 32-33 year old with recurring injuries. Becks will end up riding pine in Milan, where as in L.A., he’ll play. It’s that simple, folks.
This whole thing is strange. Like arriving at a party with one girl and leaving with another – most often, when that happens, you didn’t want to be with the first one anyway.
It is not AC Milan being arrogant, the truth is that no one in Europe takes MLS seriously ! C’est comme ça, tout simplement ! But that isn’t a bad thing unless you think MLS deserves to compare itself to big leagues with old clubs and their devotees. Bravo to Beckham for finding the love again, and saying how he feels, even if it is a little wierd what he did. Good luck to him, and I hope LA gets filthy rich.
Dude – AEG is not going to jeopardize their reputation just to sell an extra 1,000 season tickets.
They will lose far more than that if word ever got out and it would.
AEG is REALLY playing hardball here – because if they don’t every single other negotiation whether it’s with NHL players or musicians or MLS players etc. . . becomes that much harder.
Saying – we give deadlines and if you don’t meet them – we mean it – might hurt in the short term with Beckham but in the long term it allows AEG/MLS to keep their credibility for future negotiations.
And that goes for the credibility they keep with fans, journalists, sponsors, and local officials.
I for one don’t care what happens with Beckham – i’m glad MLS went up against AC Milan and told the world they were too late – just like with Beckham the first time around.
And that was another dig – essentially AC Milan were supposed to be interested around the time he left Real so this is the second time they have left David at the alter.
So now he has to really question whether leaving the Galaxy after 2009 – in the hopes AC Milan will be there waiting for him. They could have a whole new coach, GM etc. . . who knows.
This is great though – MLS comes out looking like hte class act – AC Milan is left exposed as the people who talked a good game to their fans and the world – but never made a 2nd offer for Beckham.
My guess is that the two sides may already have something worked out. MLS and the Galaxy want their season ticket holders to think he’ll be back. They are also trying to hold off for as long as possible because of the TV contracts and the advertising revenue that Beckham brings in. Now that they were able to say beckham will definitely be back they can make more money from all of that, and still get a transfer fee that they are willing to accept. Even if it’s the same transfer fee that they already turned down, they make more money by delaying when the deal goes down.
WHAT NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT
Beckham can buyout his contract.
There was a reference in a few articles that Beckham could buyout his contract – Lieweke even mentioned that he wouldn’t advise Beckham to do that.
So – COULD ALL OF THIS BE A NEGOTIATING TACTIC TO GET BECKHAM TO BUY HIMSELF OUT – that would let MLS save face because technically they maintained their deadline with AC MILAN – i.e. they would be selling Becks to Becks not Milan if they strike any deal.
Then Beckham could go and negotiate any type of contract he wants with AC Milan – take whatever they were going to pay him for his transfer fee and salary and pay himself back.
I THINK THIS IS A LEGAL MOVE THAT AEG BRILLIANTLY ARE PURSUING – in other words – by closing off AC Milan to a bid – Beckham now has only one other option if he really really wants to go to Milan – and that is to buy himself out.
And maybe the costs involved in the buyout clause are as good as any offer MLS hoped to get from Milan.
And since AEG isn’t going to give away their hand via the press – maybe reading between the lines – MLS is playing hardball with Beckham and his lawyers – by saying “ok you want to go – you pay us to go – because AC Milan sure as hell ain’t serious about paying us for you.”
AND IF BECKHAM HAS A DREAM – what’s he going to do – make a few more million or would he rather make more history?
If Becks returns to MLS its going to be awful! MLS/Galaxy just need to let both Donovan and Beckham go (for a REASONABLE price). MLS is a feeder league, they just need to understand it.
Unless Milan comes in at $15 million+, this deal isn’t happening. MLS has way too much at stake, and so do the Galaxy. Anything less than that not only is inadequate, it’s an insult. In fact, I still contend that a fair price is $20 million. $15 million would only be adequate if a player trade went along with it. Screw a friendly…who cares about that??
I don’t really care what Milan is saying. I just hope Don Garber and Tim Leiweke live up to their words. Any deal for Beckham now would suggest MLS and the Galaxy have complete contempt for their fans.
There are some good points here. AC Milan should just fork over 20 million. They sure do spend a lot of money there, what’s another 9 million. Losing Becks would be a blow to the league, but on the field I don’t think MLS is a good fit for Becks. Off the field, he has done well but I do believe that Adidas has dropped the ball with him. Adidas did nothing to brand him.. Look at what Nike did for Tiger Woods. I know it is different, but all Adidas did was print more jerseys.
“Belive ACM.
Look at the economy, Beckham’s as good as gone!
Coconutz!”
The economy is just as bad in Europe if not worse. The economy has NOTHING to do with this situation other than it may be why Milan lowballed the Galaxy.
Howie1976, I’m confused. So you’re trying to prove that Beckham doesn’t have an out clause, by cutting and pasting the part where it says that he does?
I can’t believe anyone took that whole “deadline” bit seriously. If Milan comes back with a significantly improved offer before the deadline, the Galaxy will take it. Why? Because their not stupid.
Of course Milan is being arrogant, just as Garber is being arrogant, but Milan hold Beckham’s transfer papers until June, when the European window re-opens. The player is governed by the rules of whatever league his papers are held in — including its transfer schedule. The March 9th return date is just a “gentleman’s agreement” between the two clubs.
Obviously if Milan broke the agreement that would pretty much put an end to short-term loans which clubs, especially big clubs with large rosters to keep active, use all the time. But it may have added to Milan’s lack of concern for yesterday’s deadline — that and the fact that their biggest game of the year is tomorrow.
I don’t have much respect for anyone involved on the business end of either of these teams, in fact I am disgusted by the lot of them. Milan for the same reasons all of big-biz-sports disgust me. And the Galaxy and MLS drop points for how they handled the Beckham signing from the beginning…on behalf of fans, players (including Beckham), coaches, and anyone who has had to watch a football match on ESPN.
Setting aside issues of money and arrogance for a moment — in terms of the football it would be best for all parties if Beckham went to Milan and, allowing Galaxy to build a balanced team and start winning as one. Galaxy needed quick resolution and Milan needed to stay focused on the derby this weekend, but I hope they can all still make a deal this week putting football and common sense in place of hard-headed egos and off the field profits. Just a hope…
I don’t believe it is over but I really wish it was because I’m sick of it.
AC Milan offered $11 mil US (Jozy money btw)
Becks dent to the league for 2009 = $450k
Becks dent to the Galaxy for 2009 = $4.5Million – The rest of the agreements are all in endorsements and merchandising cuts that bring the “value” of his deal in the US to that rediculous number that gets reported througout the press of $25mil/year
By him staying:
MLS gets, TV deals/ratings we wouldn’t have had, Sponsors we wouldn’t have had, merchandising awareness MLS wouldn’t have had, Inflated gate receipts we wouldn’t have had for both league cut and both teams cut, player interest we wouldn’t have had, insane amounts of free Hollywood and Sporting headlines and press. Everything that establishes and solidify’s the numbers for the future of the business model for future investors.
Galaxy get league gate + Pan Pacific + Australian Tour + Herbalife + International merchandise sales + all the benefits described to the league above for him merely being on the squad.
Keep his ass here and use him like he’s used the US for his own marketing. He’ll be so old by the end of 09 he’d only be worth a couple mil anyway to some UAE team or something that’ll pick him up. MLS will have gotten more than it’s value from him. If he goes free then it’s no big deal. He’ll get half a season (to form up for England) with someone and then, they can take the burn on the World Cup year of him never playing.