It’s looking less and less likely that David Beckham will be making his way to Major League Soccer next season-not when Inter Milan comes out and says it’s prepared to offer him $200,000 per week and complete control over his image rights, worth around $35 million last year. An MLS club would not only have to exceed that kind of offer, but then there’s the fact that Beckham has reiterated time and again that he wants to keep playing “at the highest level” for a few more years yet, before embarking on a golden retirement in the United States. Ernesto Bronzetti, the transfer guru who deals with Real Madrid’s foreign deals, said confidently, “I know Beckham will come to Italy. He’s not so concerned about wages as what he earns from publicity contracts.” Indeed, $200,000 per week represents a slight pay-cut for the midfielder, but being able to retain his full image rights-which he currently splits with Real Madrid-would result in a far more lucrative deal for the former England captain. In all likelihood, Beckham will depart Real when the season ends and his contract with the club expires. Celtic, Tottenham, Israeli club Maccabi Netanya and the Los Angeles Galaxy have all expressed interest in the player, but Football Italia says he would be the perfect replacement for the departing Luis Figo, who has also been linked with a move to MLS.
