Beckham would honour Galaxy deal says coach Arena

David Beckham would see out his Los Angeles Galaxy contract as opposed to trying to leave should a permanent deal with AC Milan not materialise, Galaxy team boss Bruce Arena said on Thursday.

“David Beckham understands what a contract means, he will honour his contract, whether it’s with LA Galaxy or AC Milan,” Arena insisted.

The former England captain is gearing up for the big Italian derby against rivals Inter Milan this weekend yet no new deal has yet been signed with AC Milan.

Beckham, 33, equalled Bobby Moore’s England record of 108 caps for an outfield player when he featured against Spain on Wednesday and the focus is now on where he will play his club football, with Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber insisting a deal must be agreed before the weekend.

Arena told BBC Radio Five: “We understand his interest in wanting to stay at Milan but we need to protect the interests of the LA Galaxy first and foremost, and that’s what we’re doing.

“We will continue to examine this issue until the end of the week when the league has set a deadline for the transfer.”

The former United States national team boss refused to reveal the fees involved.

“There are a variety of things we’ve discussed but it’s not public information and when Milan give us what they feel is their best offer, we’ll examine it and make a decision whether it’s in the best interests of our club or not,” he added.

“If David Beckham returns, he is a good professional and he’s going to play, and play well.

Arena added: “David is a great player, we’d miss him if he leaves, no question about that. However it’s a team sport and one player doesn’t make a team. We’d be thrilled to have him return but if we lose Beckham, we lose him. That’s football.”

Beckham joined LA Galaxy in 2007 on a five-year deal reportedly worth 250 million dollars (183 million euros).