David Beckham may not be headed to Paris Saint-Germain, but it’s still not certain he will be back with Major League Soccer champions the Los Angeles Galaxy, The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
Tim Leiweke, chief executive of Galaxy’s owners AEG, told the newspaper that there was still no deal in place for Beckham to stay with the club, although the Galaxy want to keep him.
“The stories were all over the front page of every newspaper in Europe that he was going to Paris,” Leiweke told the Times. “I told everyone I would not pay a lot of attention to that.
“And now that the stories are that he is going to the Galaxy, I would repeat the same advice: Premature.
“We have been talking with David about staying with the Galaxy for three months. And I said back in November, I was confident David would stay here and I still am.
“Does it look more likely that is heading in that direction? Yes. Are we done? No.”
The former England captain’s Major League Soccer contract expired in December — a month after he helped the team claim the MLS Cup crown.
Paris Saint-Germain, the big-spending Qatar-backed French club, was the most prominent outfit courting Beckham. But PSG sporting director Leonardo said in Doha on Tuesday that the club was no longer pursuing Beckham.
“He will not come to PSG,” said the Brazilian, citing “family reasons” for Beckham.
In numerous interviews in November, Beckham noted how much his family enjoyed living in Southern California.
However, Leiweke said there were other clubs still trying to lure Beckham.
“It’s not just Paris. He’s had other offers,” Leiweke told the Los Angeles Times. “And every one is greater and more expansive, bigger than anything we’re talking about.”
