Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards insisted Friday that star midfielder David Beckham will not be leaving the club at any price, despite increasing speculation that the England international is a target for Italian giants AC Milan.
Beckham, one of the few England successes during last month's Euro 2000 campaign, has attracted a host of admiring glances from abroad with his outstanding displays for club and country.
The president of AC Milan, Silvio Berlusconi, is the latest leading figure to express his interest in a player whose fee would probably be in excess of the previous highest straight-cash deal which took Italian international striker Christian Vieri from Lazio to Inter Milan for 31 million pounds ($46.5 million).
AC Milan have insisted that they have spoken to Old Trafford chief Sir Alex Ferguson about a possible transfer, although that has been contradicted by Edwards.
The speculation surrounding Beckham follows rumors which suggested that AC Milan's rivals Inter were about to launch a speculative bid for Beckham's midfield partner Paul Scholes, another key member of the English Premiership champions.
But Edwards has reacted quickly to warn off any potential buyers by saying that neither Beckham nor Scholes will be moving on - at any price.
"We have had no contact from either Milan or Inter," said Edwards.
"And we know both clubs well enough to think that if there was some interest in any of our players, they would have discussed it directly with us.
"But in either case, it would be immaterial because they will not be leaving.
"We are not due to talk to David about a new contract until next summer but just because we are a public limited company, it doesn't mean we are under pressure to sell anyone - no matter what price is offered."
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
