Real deal: Beckham 'heading for Madrid'

Real Madrid have won the race to sign David Beckham in a £17 million-plus deal, Spanish media reported tonight.

Real Madrid have won the race to sign David Beckham in a £17m -plus (€24.28m) deal, Spanish media reported tonight.

The England captain is said to have agreed a four-year deal with the Spanish giants and could be on his way to the Bernabeu as early as next month, according to Spanish radio station Cadena Sur.

If true, the move will end two months of intense speculation and uncertainty over the Manchester United superstar’s future.

New Barcelona president Joan Laporta used Beckham, 28, as a central figure in his successful campaign to be elected boss of the club at the weekend.

But the Beckham camp always insisted the midfield maestro had no interest in moving to the club, fuelling even more speculation that he was holding out for a bigger club.

On the reported Real Madrid link, the footballer’s representatives, SFX, said the deal was “imminent, if not concluded”, according to the BBC.

Beckham, who is heading for a tour of the Far East, would play alongside some of the world’s greatest footballers at Real, including Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo and Ronaldo.