News round-up: David Beckham has reluctantly accepted his future lies away from Manchester United. In his first interview since the club confirmed Italian and Spanish clubs had "expressed a firm interest", Beckham made it clear he is prepared to move if United no longer want him.
"I've never said that I would never move away from Manchester," he said, "and I've never said that I would end my career there."
Asked directly about his future, he told the Los Angeles Times yesterday: "There will always be changes at a club like Manchester United. With all the big teams, there are always going to be changes."
One option that would have appealed to Beckham seemed to close yesterday, however, when Milan's president Silvio Berlusconi ended their interest, saying: "There are many better ways of spending money." However, Berlusconi was similarly dismissive of a move for Lazio defender Alessandro Nesta last year; a month later he was a Milan player.
Beckham emphasised he had not instigated the transfer discussions and was not seeking to leave. "The rumours have been going on for two months now. About a month ago, it was Real Madrid and now it's Barcelona. But I'm a Manchester United player and I'm contracted for another two years. As long as they want me, then I'll stay."
On Thursday there will be another significant development in the saga when Pini Zihavi, the Israeli agent employed by United to get the best price, flies in for talks with senior officials and Beckham's advisers, Tony Stephens and Jon Holmes.
Zihavi is a close associate of Joan Laporta, the Barcelona presidential candidate who has promised to sign Beckham if he wins the club elections this weekend. However, Beckham has reservations about joining a club who have not yet qualified for next season's UEFA Cup.
That leaves Real Madrid as the most likely suitors, although it has also become clear that Beckham and his wife would prefer a move to Italy. He might also be aggrieved to find that his status at Old Trafford is not such that the fans will side with him against Ferguson.
Elsewhere, Liverpool yesterday confirmed that full-back Steve Finnan will join the Anfield club from Fulham for a fee of around stg£3.5million (€4.9 million).
The Republic of Ireland international has agreed personal terms and will officially become a Liverpool player in July.
Meanwhile, Finnan's compatriots Gareth Farrelly, Alan Mahon and Graham Barrett have been added to the International squad scheduled to play Bray Wanderers this Thursday evening (kick off 7.45 pm) in a testimonial game for the club's long serving defender Maurice Farrell.
Already included in the side, which will be managed by Steve Staunton, are Blackburn's Alan Kelly, Stoke City pair James O'Connor and Clive Clarke as well as a string of prominent underage internationals such as Liam Miller, Michael Doyle and Clifford Byrne. It is also hoped that Damien Duff will be sufficiently fit to play some part.
Tickets priced €10 for adults and €5 for under-16s and pensioners are available at the usual outlets in Bray or outside the Carlisle Grounds on the night of the game.
