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Beckham move to Real Madrid made official
London, June 18: Soccer star David Beckham is flying to Japan while Manchester United has confirmed that he had been sold to Real Madrid.
London, June 18: Soccer star David Beckham is flying to Japan while Manchester United has confirmed that he had been sold to Real Madrid.
Manchester United confirmed on Tuesday (June 17) they had agreed to sell David Beckham to Real Madrid. United said they had accepted a fee of around 35 million euros ($41.31 million) for the 28-year-old England captain.
"The deal is expected to be completed in July, conditional upon approval by the boards of Manchester United and Real Madrid, and on the provision of satisfactory payment guarantees," the club said in a statement.
"David Beckham has agreed personal terms with Real Madrid and expects to sign his new contract with the club on completion."
Beckham, who flew to Japan on Tuesday on a promotional tour of Asia for his sponsors, is expected to undergo a medical at Real on July 1.
Jorge Valdano, director general of Real Madrid, told TVE in a telephone conversation early in the evening that he could not confirm that the contract had been signed as he had not received the signed documents.
"If the signed documents have not come through yet we cannot say they have been signed if they have not been. Imagine if I said to you that they have been signed when they have not, it would not be the first time that this has happened," he said.
Asked when a news release confirming the signing would be released, Valdano said : In approximately half an hour to an hour, I imagine".
Speaking earlier, the Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque has said Beckham would be welcomed. He added " if he comes to Real Madrid he will be coming to the greatest team in the world".
United manager Alex Ferguson told the club's website: "We wish David all the best in his new career in Spain and thank him for his fantastic contribution to the team's achievements in the last decade. We have worked closely with David's advisors throughout the past few weeks and thank them for their co-operation."
"Under the terms of the agreement, 7.5 million euros of the total fee will be paid upon completion of the sale, and 17.5 million euros over the following four years in equal instalments."
The remaining 10 million Euro is conditional upon Real Madrid's performances in the Champions League. In Spain Barcelona president Joan Laporta admitted defeat in his bid to sign David Beckham.
"I admit the defeat, we all knew about the difficulties of these negotiations. His representatives presented an unscalable wall. Real Madrid pressure was very high and we were not ready to offer more money than them. Also our position forced Real Madrid to reach a deal very quickly," he told reporters.
Laporta last week secured his own agreement with Manchester United to sign Beckham for an undisclosed fee but he recognised that his attempts to persuade the player to come had met with failure.
"We've been aware of the news since this evening," Laporta said.
Bureau Report
Jorge Valdano, director general of Real Madrid, told TVE in a telephone conversation early in the evening that he could not confirm that the contract had been signed as he had not received the signed documents.
"If the signed documents have not come through yet we cannot say they have been signed if they have not been. Imagine if I said to you that they have been signed when they have not, it would not be the first time that this has happened," he said.
Asked when a news release confirming the signing would be released, Valdano said : In approximately half an hour to an hour, I imagine".
Speaking earlier, the Real Madrid coach Vicente del Bosque has said Beckham would be welcomed. He added " if he comes to Real Madrid he will be coming to the greatest team in the world".
United manager Alex Ferguson told the club's website: "We wish David all the best in his new career in Spain and thank him for his fantastic contribution to the team's achievements in the last decade. We have worked closely with David's advisors throughout the past few weeks and thank them for their co-operation."
"Under the terms of the agreement, 7.5 million euros of the total fee will be paid upon completion of the sale, and 17.5 million euros over the following four years in equal instalments."
The remaining 10 million Euro is conditional upon Real Madrid's performances in the Champions League. In Spain Barcelona president Joan Laporta admitted defeat in his bid to sign David Beckham.
"I admit the defeat, we all knew about the difficulties of these negotiations. His representatives presented an unscalable wall. Real Madrid pressure was very high and we were not ready to offer more money than them. Also our position forced Real Madrid to reach a deal very quickly," he told reporters.
Laporta last week secured his own agreement with Manchester United to sign Beckham for an undisclosed fee but he recognised that his attempts to persuade the player to come had met with failure.
"We've been aware of the news since this evening," Laporta said.
Bureau Report