Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta announced for the first time he has been negotiating with Manchester United to sign David Beckham.
"We cannot deny that we started negotiations some time ago for the signing of David Beckham," Laporta told reporters in Barcelona. "I cannot give any more details for the moment".
Laporta, who is one of six official candidates for the Barcelona presidency, said that it would not be easy to conclude a deal for the player but that he hoped for further developments in the next few days.
"He (Beckham) is a world class player and there are a number of other clubs interested in signing him.
"We have well-founded hopes that we will soon be able to say more about this signing and I am confident that we can bring him [Beckham] to Barcelona if we win the elections."
Spanish media reported this week that Laporta's representative met United chief executive Peter Kenyon to discuss a £30 million sterling deal for Beckham.
Kenyon was also in talks with Ronaldinho's brother on Wednesday to discuss the Brazilian forward's future, Paris St Germain sources said yesterday.