Beckham: I'm not leaving Madrid
Unwanted? Beckham insists he's going nowhere
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Monday, 30, Oct 2006 04:01
David Beckham has denied rumours that he is set to leave Real Madrid, telling journalists that he is not talking to any other clubs.
Speculation surrounding the former England captain's future intensified today with reports linking him with moves to Major League Soccer (MLS) in the US, Premiership club Tottenham and SPL champions Celtic.
Beckham has struggled to hold down a regular place in the Madrid starting line-up since Italian coach Fabio Capello took over in the summer.
Capello has started the 31-year-old in just two La Liga games and last week sent him out with a second string 11 in the first round of the Spanish Cup.
But speaking at a news conference this afternoon, Beckham said he had no plans to leave the Bernabeu.
"I'm not going to be talking to any teams," he said. "I am not going anywhere in January."
Beckham's contract expires at the end of this season, meaning that Madrid's last chance to get any money for him would be during the transfer window.
Club president Ramon Calderon is said to be keen for the former Manchester United player to stay and negotiations on a contract extension are already underway.
But if Beckham is unable to nail down a place in the first team, he is likely to be looking for another club either in January or in the summer.
At 31, he will not want to spend too many games on the bench, but could face a similar problem to Michael Owen, who found many of the clubs big enough to pay his wages had little interest in signing him when he left Madrid last year.
Beckham, who has 94 caps, stood down as England captain after the World Cup quarter-final defeat to Portugal in July and has failed to make any of the squads named by new boss Steve McClaren.
Only four players have represented England more times than Beckham and he has made it clear that he has no plans to retire from international football.