Soccer: David Beckham is expected to join Fabio Capello's former club AC Milan as part of his ongoing efforts to remain a fixture in the England squad.
The former England captain is considering a short-term loan move to the Italian giants, starting in January.
Milan today confirmed they are trying to sign Beckham from the Los Angeles Galaxy and head coach Carlo Ancelotti claims it would be "a pleasure" to have the 33-year old at the San Siro.
Although the deal is not complete, Milan are hopeful Beckham will sign, and the move would have clear benefits for both parties.
Capello last week stressed Beckham has a key role to play for the foreseeable future with England, as he looks to add to his 107 caps.
But he also confirmed the former Manchester United midfielder would not be selected to face Spain in February if he remained inactive during the MLS close season.
Beckham is under contract with the LA Galaxy but their regular season finishes on Sunday.
AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani said this morning at Milan's Malpensa airport: "We are speaking with his agent but we believe he will arrive for some months on a free loan.
"We shall register him for some months and then he will leave. Beckham has chosen Milan. Our squad is ultra-competitive and it will remain this way, but Beckham is something different and intriguing."
Ancelotti told acmilan.com: "For me it will be a pleasure, Beckham is a serious athlete, a great professional.
"If he is available for four months with us, we will be very happy."
Beckham would bring added strength to the Milan midfield, and provide Ancelotti with fresh options, although he already has the likes of Kaka, Clarence Seedorf, Gennaro Gattuso and Andrea Pirlo to select from.
Former AC Milan and England striker Luther Blissett believes the move to Italy would do Beckham the world of good.
"If he's really going to be part of this England revolution he's got to be playing regular, top-class football with top-class players," said Blissett.
"I think he'd make a great addition to what they have. And for Beckham to be playing alongside the likes of Kaka and Seedorf in midfield would be great for him as much as it would be for Milan."
Galliani had indicated at the weekend Beckham would be invited to train with Milan during the coming months, however, it now seems he could sign a short-term deal, possibly until March, allowing him to return to the United States for the start of the MLS campaign.
Beckham had been linked with the Rossoneri before leaving Real Madrid for the United States in 2007 and Ancelotti has continued to monitor him.
Capello, who had two spells as head coach of Milan and also played for the club, has been pleased with Beckham's contribution this year, although he has recently been a fringe member of the England squad.
England have a busy start to 2009. They have a probable friendly against Spain lined up for February, plus a home friendly against Slovakia in March, and World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine in April, and Kazakhstan and Andorra in June.
Beckham has moved to within one appearance of the 108-cap tally achieved by World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore, with only 125-times-capped Peter Shilton having played more matches for England.
-PA
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)