David Beckham insists he'll stay with LA Galaxy

David Beckham insists he will stay with the Los Angeles Galaxy regardless of any possible loan to Italian power AC Milan.

"At the end of the day, my commitment is still to the Galaxy and that's not changed," Beckham said after training Saturday. "But I've been given a chance to join up with one of the biggest clubs in the world, so I'm going to do that.

"The Galaxy are not against it. They've made that clear. They said that if I want to do that, then they're prepared to let me go there on loan until our season."

AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani said last week he wants to bring Beckham to Italy on a loan and possibly sign him. If the loan takes place, Beckham would arrive in January.

"At the end of the day, it's looking like it could happen," Beckham said. "Hopefully, it will be finalized in the next week or two."

Major League Soccer Deputy Commissioner Ivan Gazidis said Thursday that the loan would be approved only if it "makes sense" for the Galaxy and Beckham, who signed a five-year contract worth $250 million in January 2007.

One issue concerns whether Beckham will return to Los Angeles for the Galaxy's preseason in March or for the first regular-season game.

"At the moment, it's not even certain yet," Beckham said of the loan. "We're still talking to Milan. It's (for) a two-month spell, maybe a little bit longer."

Galaxy forward Landon Donovan, who has talked about possibly playing in Europe after this season, criticized the timing of Beckham's pursuit of a loan agreement.

"Candidly, yes," Donovan said when asked if the timing bothered him. "It doesn't make anything better and it doesn't worsen anything. But it would have been nice to wait. I'm waiting until after Sunday to see what happens."

The Galaxy's season ends Sunday against Dallas.

Beckham, 33, has said he wants to play for England in the 2010 World Cup. But England coach Fabio Capello said he would consider the midfielder for future qualifying games only if he trains consistently and plays at a high level.

"Footballers don't have four months off in any league in the world, apart from here," Beckham said of MLS's offseason. "My body is programmed not to have so much time off. I need to play."

During the previous offseason, Beckham trained with England's Arsenal but played no Premier League matches. He returned to the Galaxy in March for preseason training.

Beckham has played eight games for England since Capello replaced Steve McClaren as coach in December, raising his career total to 107 international appearances.


