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Barca life Laporta will fight to keep Beckham away from RealPosted: Thursday June 12, 2003 7:05 PMBARCELONA (Reuters) -- Real Madrid will face a serious fight if they want to make a bid for David Beckham, a determined Joan Laporta promised on Thursday. "If Real Madrid want to do a deal with Manchester United they'll have to get past us first," Laporta told a news conference. Laporta, a candidate in Barcelona's presidential election, has an agreement with Manchester United to sign Beckham if he wins Sunday's vote and can agree personal terms with the England captain. Beckham's agents reacted to United's announcement of the Laporta agreement with a strongly worded statement, saying Beckham had no intention of negotiating with Laporta's people. Speculation is growing that Real Madrid will come in with a counter offer, but Laporta is clinging to his agreement with the English champions. "They can look for houses and schools for the children all they like but first they're going to have to come to terms with United," Laporta said. "We're the ones who have a deal with United." Laporta: Barcelona life would suit BeckhamBARCELONA (Reuters) -- Joan Laporta believes the key factor in persuading David Beckham to choose Barcelona over Manchester, Madrid or Milan could be the city itself. Laporta, one of six candidates in FC Barcelona's presidential election, has an agreement to sign Beckham provided he wins Sunday's poll and can convince the player to move. With AC Milan and Real Madrid, European champions of the past two years, also expected to enter the bidding at some stage, Laporta faces a difficult task. However much the football team have struggled in recent seasons, Barcelona remains one of the world's best loved cities and Laporta will emphasize its privileged position between the mountains and Mediterranean sea. Barcelona, the capital of the province of Catalunya in the north east of Spain, is the country's most elegant city, marked by the wide boulevards of the Eixample district and the modernist architecture of Antoni Gaudi. Hosting the Olympic Games in 1992 was a renaissance for Barcelona and it is now as stylish a place as Milan, more cosmopolitan than Madrid and boasts a laid back atmosphere that could suit Beckham and his family. "There are a lot of arguments for Beckham coming here and one of them is that Barcelona is a fantastic city," Laporta said on Thursday as he presented a 100-page document outlining his plans for the presidency should he win the vote. "Catalunya is a welcoming place and the city has a tendency to make people fall in love with it. "He and his family would be happy living here. The atmosphere is tranquil and the people would be proud to have him." Laporta still has to have talks with Beckham or his agents. If and when he does, he will promise the England captain a place in a rebuilt team, fit to play at the 98,000 capacity Nou Camp. "Our stadium is a temple of football," Laporta said. "The training facilities are excellent and he could be one of the leaders in a potent team." Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. |
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