Galaxy won’t release Beckham unless fairly compensated

David Beckham will return to the Galaxy on March 9 unless AC Milan makes an offer for the English midfielder that is substantially better than the one currently on the table.Showing a sudden ability to play hardball when needed, AEG, which owns the Los Angeles Galaxy, on Friday said that the Italian club, a seven-time European champion, had very little time left to make up its mind.

“We need to end the distractions, the circus and the zoo,” said Tim Leiweke, AEG’s chief executive and the man who helped engineer Beckham’s multi-million dollar move to Los Angeles in 2007.

Beckham is midway through a two-month loan to AC Milan. His strong performances in five games for the Series A team have prompted the Italian club to say that it would like to either extend the loan or acquire Beckham outright.

Beckham this week voiced his own desire to remain in Italy with the top-flight club whose roster includes the likes of Brazilians Kaka, Ronaldinho and Pato. But AC Milan’s initial offer came in well beneath what AEG and Major League Soccer feel the 33-year-old is worth.

The Galaxy is believed to want at least as much as the $10 million that the Spanish club Villarreal paid the New York Red Bulls for U.S. forward Jose Altidore last year, and possibly even more.If Milan demurs, then the Galaxy is quite happy to hold Beckham to the terms of the loan agreement.”

If David ultimately is an asset for this team, we want him back,” Leiweke said. “If David ultimately has a hunger and a desire to come help us make the impact on the pitch that we wanted to make with him but haven’t done yet, then he’s an important member of this team and our intention is to bring him back.

“Clearly, if David’s in a position where he wants to finish the season in Milan, and Milan in turn compensates the Galaxy so that we can suffer no damages to our fans or to our team, then we’ll take a look at it.

“But we have made it very clear to them that we expect David back here March 9. They agree and understand we own the contract. They understand the only way we do this is if, when this is all said and done, the Galaxy benefits.

“If the Galaxy comes out better without David than with David, then we’ll take a look at it,” Lieweke said.

(Optional add end)

So, the ball has been kicked rather forcefully back into AC Milan’s half of the field and it is up to the Italians to decide the next move.

“We understand his (Beckham’s) infatuation with playing on the world’s most popular club team right now, and we understand his trying to mentally get around the idea of coming back to play with a team that didn’t make the playoffs in MLS last year,” Leiweke said.

“That said, David and us actually are talking. He has never forced our hand on anything. This is not a legal conversation and has never been a legal conversation. He does not have lawyers looking at the contract.

“David has made it very clear that if our decision is to bring him back here, he will return. Period.”