UK Roundup

Beckham linked with AC Milan, Barcelona

LONDON (AP) -- Just when it looked like David Beckham was staying put at Manchester United, along come new reports suggesting he's leaving after all.

Only weeks after Beckham quashed speculation he was headed to Real Madrid, a flurry of newspaper reports Friday linked him with transfers to Champions Cup winner AC Milan and Spanish giant Barcelona.

Italy's largest sports daily, Gazzetta dello Sport, reported that AC Milan had reached a preliminary agreement to buy Beckham. AC Milan, owned by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, had no immediate comment.

"Beckham's in the Cup," read a front-page headline in the newspaper, two days after AC Milan beat Juventus in the Champions Cup final in Manchester.

Gazzetta said AC Milan officials were counting on the city's status as Italy's fashion capital to lure fashion-icon Beckham and his shopping-loving pop star wife, Victoria.

But the paper acknowledged that Barcelona -- the style capital of Spain -- was also in the race with a 32 million euro offer (US$38 million), believed to be higher than AC Milan's bid.

London's Times newspaper said Barcelona was the favorite to land the England captain, who earns about US$17 million yearly in salary and endorsements and is reported to have a net worth of US$80 million.

Joan Laporta is running to become Barcelona's president and has been linked with a move to buy Beckham. LaPorta has declined to confirm or deny the reports. The club elections are slated for June 15.

In early May, Beckham issued a statement responding to intense speculation that he was set to join Real Madrid.

"I want to stay at United," he said. "I know Peter Kenyon and the manager are saying they want me to stay, and that's good enough for me. My affection for the club has never changed from the day I signed for United."

The new reports come at a time when Beckham and his wife are in New York on the party circuit.

Manchester United chief executive Peter Kenyon has said Beckham would be available for the right price -- about 30 million pounds (US$48 million).

Man U manager Alex Ferguson is known to resent Beckham's rock-star image, weekly change of hairstyles and knack for self promotion. Ferguson benched Beckham in the Champions League quarterfinal loss to Real Madrid, which signaled he's expendable.

Selling Beckham at a high price in a depressed market would enable Ferguson to buy a half dozen players in his bid to win the European championship.

If Manchester United sells its most marketable player, it might wait until after the Reds' four-game promotional tour in the United States in July.

Beckham fractured his wrist on May 22 in England's 2-1 friendly victory in South Africa. Manchester United said Beckham would be fit for the U.S. tour.

Wenger 'committed' to Gunners as speculation mounts

LONDON (AP) -- With speculation intensifying about a move to Real Madrid, Arsene Wenger said Friday he remains "committed" to his job as Arsenal manager.

Wenger reportedly met with the Spanish club's president, Florentino Perez, at a Paris hotel last Friday to discuss details of a possible move.

French agent Marc Roger -- who reportedly set up the Paris meeting -- was quoted in British newspapers Friday as saying Wenger would take "two to three weeks" to decide whether to take the Real job.

"It is simple. I am committed to Arsenal and will not get involved in any of this speculation," Wenger said on the Gunners' Web site Friday.

Wenger has two years left on his current deal but has a clause stipulating he can leave at the end of each season.

"I know [Wenger] wants to coach Real Madrid," Roger was quoted as saying in the Sun on Friday. "Arsene has told me he would be pleased to coach Real Madrid one day."

The Gunners are heavily in debt after plans to build a new stadium proved more expensive than originally planned, meaning Wenger only has limited funds to spend on players this summer.

Arsenal finished second to Manchester United in the just concluded season.

"[Wenger's] priority at the moment is to continue with Arsenal, but he wants to win the Champions Cup with his team and lacks the money for this," Roger said.

Vicente del Bosque's contract as Madrid manager expires at the end of the season. He hasn't signed a new deal.

Ferdinand out, Rooney in for England's upcoming games

LONDON (AP) -- Defender Rio Ferdinand is out, but teenage striker Wayne Rooney is in for England's next two games.

Ferdinand will miss the friendly against Serbia-Montenegro on Tuesday and the Euro 2004 qualifer against Slovakia on June 11 with a left knee injury.

The Manchester United star will undergo surgery next week.

The decision was made after Ferdinand was examined by United and England medical staff on Friday.

"We are very disappointed to lose (Ferdinand), but this is obviously the right decision for medical reasons," England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson said.

Everton's Rooney, 17, has recovered from a knee-ligament injury and could play in both home games.

He returned to Liverpool on Friday after training with his international teammates in Spain.

"We have checked Wayne out today," Everton's Mick Rathbone said on the club's Web site Friday. "He has trained in the past few days and reported no reaction."

Ferdinand played with the knee injury for United the last two months of the Premier League season but was taken off at halftime in England's friendly against South Africa on May 22.

Fellow defenders Sol Campbell and John Terry are also hurt, and Eriksson is also without suspended captain David Beckham.

But the Swede said he wouldn't call up any more players.

"We already have central defenders in Gareth Southgate, Matthew Upson and [Terry], and I have previously called Gareth Barry and Jamie Carragher into the squad," Eriksson said.

Terry will probably be a substitute for the Serbia-Montenegro game in Leicester, but he's expected to start the Slovakia game in Middlesbrough.

England leads Turkey by a point in its Euro qualifying group.

Adams faces up to Leicester's survival battle

LEICESTER, England (Reuters) -- Leicester City manager Micky Adams, rewarded for leading the club back into the premier league with a new three-year contract, said on Friday he would redouble his efforts to keep them up.

Adams took over as manager of the midlands club in April 2002 once their relegation became certain but steered them straight back into the top flight with automatic promotion in second place behind first division champions Portsmouth.

His achievement was all the more impressive as Leicester went into administration midway through the season which resulted in the Football League imposing a transfer embargo and he will only have limited resources to strengthen the squad.

"I'm delighted to have signed but I am going to redouble my efforts to make sure I feel as good as I do now this time next year," Adams said at a news conference on Friday.

"It's not often the bookies are very far off the mark, and I can understand why we are already relegation favourites without anyone to plough millions of pounds into the club.

"At the moment I cannot deny we probably have a weaker squad now than when we came out of the Premiership a year ago.

"But now that my future is settled I'll be concentrating all my efforts on strengthening the playing staff.

"While I accept it is not going to be easy next season, the one thing I can promise our supporters is that we will be fit, organised and well prepared, and will give it our very best shot," added the former Fulham and Brighton manager who had one year left on his original contract.

Adams had been linked in the media with the previous managerial vacancies at Fulham and Aston Villa but agreed a new deal which doubles his salary to around 500,000 pounds ($821,800) a year.

He also insisted on extended contracts being offered to his management team of Dave Bassett, Leicester's Director of Football, assistant-manager Alan Cork, reserve-team coach Peter Shirtliff and physio Dave Rennie.

Bassett had been manager when Adams arrived as his assistant in October 2001.

Study: Fans suffer end-of-season blues

LONDON (AP) -- More than just the weather gives people in England the blues.

Soccer fans suffer severe withdrawal symptoms and feel depressed when the season ends, a study suggests.

Two thousand fans completed a questionnaire, and the results showed that about two-thirds have "end of season affective disorder."

Symptoms include lethargy, the inability to converse and a sense of hopelessness -- feelings that might surface during the season if a fan's team isn't doing well.

"Football fans clearly hold a deep-rooted relationship with their team, and as a result, like any other close bond, to have that central pillar suddenly removed could cause a quite obvious existential crisis," said John Castleton, a psychologist who wrote a report on the study.

Three-quarters of fans said soccer was more important than anything else, while 70 percent added it was their main conversational topic.

About 10 percent were glad the season was over.

The study was done by Barclaycard, the main sponsor of the Premier League.

Ridsdale in talks over Barnsley takeover

BARNSLEY, England (Reuters) -- Former Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale is considering the possibility of taking over at Second Division Barnsley.

Ridsdale quit the Leeds board in March after five rollercoaster years in charge at the Yorkshire club, saying he could no longer take the abuse of fans who blamed him for the club's financial and footballing plight.

"I'm very keen to get back into football and I'm exploring the legalities of taking over," said Ridsdale.

Barnsley owner Peter Doyle revealed that he met Ridsdale in midweek for informal talks.

"He was coming to Barnsley on business so I suggested he meet me and we walked around the place," said Doyle.

Ridsdale's years at Leeds peaked with the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2001 and reaching the nadir with the announcement of debts of 78.9 million pounds in March.

Barnsley are no strangers to financial problems since being relegated from the premier league after one season in 1998. After another relegation, they finished 19th in the 24-team second division at the end of last season.

Barnsley are not fully out of administration and Doyle, the mayor of the South Yorkshire town who seized control at Oakwell in December, would welcome further investment in the club.

"I own this club lock, stock and barrel and I am trying to make Barnsley Football Club successful," added Doyle.

"Mr Ridsdale has significant investment of his own and it would be remiss of me not to talk to him about it."

 

Related information

Stories

UK: Gregory sues Derby for wrongful dismissal

Multimedia

Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video

Both the Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.