Real Madrid director of sport Jorge Valdano has reopened the debate about the club's reported interest in David Beckham.
Valdano sparked a media frenzy earlier in the week when he said Real were interested in the Manchester United and England star before backtracking when club president Florentino Perez played down the reports.
But now Valdano has again hinted that Beckham might join the club when he was asked about whether the club intended to recruit "Zidanes (stars) or Pavons (homegrown players)".
"We can find some Pavons, but it is difficult to find many Zidanes. Beckham is one of those players without doubt," said Valdano.
"I can also think of other names in Italian and English football, who have great ability and who could also be useful to Madrid.
"At the moment there is nothing focused on Beckham, but I think there is so much interest in the press to take the story further that no matter how much we deny it, we are not going to be able to forget Beckham's name until the end of the season.
"I think we will keep speaking about him," said Valdano, who played in Argentina's 1986 World Cup winning side.
Valdano had earlier this week raised the possibility of a swoop for Beckham, only for Perez to say: "You can't buy every card in the pack."
Valdano then retracted, saying: "The possibility that Beckham will one day play for Real Madrid is very remote."