AC Milan Boss: Becks wants to stay in Italy

Though David Beckham has yet to personally address the subject of his impending return to the Los Angeles Galaxy  his bosses at AC Milan—where Becks is playing ‘on loan’ from his US club—are starting to suggest that the longtime England captain wants to remain in Italy longterm.

Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani was asked by the Italian media about Beckham’s desire to stay with AC Milan longterm:

''I think he does, but I can only speak of what the club wants to do and Milan will do everything possible to have Beckham after March. It's evident that our will is there to keep him until the end of the season or even on a permanent transfer. 'There is hope, but contracts have to be honoured. If Galaxy want to start negotiations we will be happy to try. But they (Galaxy) are right, the agreements are clear - on March 9 Beckham must return to America.''

Beckham has revived his career with Milan, and has become a favorite of the Italian fans and media.  His team has become the most watched team on television, though Galliani wasn’t about to give Beckham all of the credit for his side’s popularity:

''It exists and we understand it following the many requests we have received to play friendly games, but it's not only his presence which attracts other clubs. We have a group of stars.''

According to sources, there have been some preliminary discussions with the Galaxy though nothing in the way of serious negotiations.  At this point, the MLS team is likely weighing the value of Beckham to their bottom line against the huge transfer fee being floated by Milan—last reported to be in the neighborhood of $6.5 million (US).