Real Madrid were today rebuffed by David Beckham and Los Angeles Galaxy after making an official approach to buy the England midfielder out of his contract with the American club.
The Spanish club were told that there is no clause in Beckham's deal with the
Galaxy that would allow him to stay on in Madrid and that he has no intention of
changing his mind.
Real made their approach this morning after club president Ramon Calderon
yesterday spoke of trying to keep Beckham for another season.
Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas promised that Beckham will he given every
chance to recover from a taxing end to the season.
Lalas said: 'We know he's not a robot, he's a human being, and there
will be a period of physical and mental rest that he needs and we want to make
sure he gets that.
'We know he's going to be coming off a pretty intensive season in Madrid that
is hopefully going to finish with a league title.'
Beckham's return to the England team appears to cause a problem for the
Galaxy, which has marketed tickets for several games late in the MLS season that
Beckham is now likely to miss while on international duty.
But Lalas reiterated his support for Beckham's international career. 'We will
continue to support him 100% for as long as he continues to play for England.'
Meanwhile, Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello, who often left Beckham on the
bench during the first half of the Primera Liga season, has admitted making
errors about the way the 32-year-old was handled.
He said: 'We have all made mistakes regarding Beckham. On the sporting side we have made a decision and I am the one that has the maximum responsibility.
'The truth is that with him we made a mistake. Beckham is a great player. Now he is playing at the same level as he did at
Manchester (United).
'He is a player that has recovered his physical and psychological condition
because he was upset not to be playing with his national team.
'For every player, the national team is important and for English players,
more so.'
