Rob Shepherd
Last Updated: Dec 4, 2010
David Beckham is to be offered the chance of one last great adventure, in Turkey.
Besiktas of Istanbul want to take Beckham on loan from LA Galaxy of Major League Soccer over the winter, when the US league is inactive.
A source in Turkey said that if Beckham is willing to be loaned again, Besiktas “have big ambitions” to have him play for them.
Over the past two winters Beckham has played in Serie A for AC Milan, but the Italian club no longer want him.
Earlier in the week, David Moyes, the Everton manager, confirmed he wanted to bring Beckham to Goodison Park until March, when the US season resumes. Beckham, who had flown to Zurich during the week as part of his role in what proved to be England’s failed 2018 World Cup bid, made it clear he was not interested in the Toffees.
At 35, Beckham has come to terms with the fact he could not put up with the rigours of the Premier League, which he left in 2003 when Manchester United sold him to Real Madrid.
But an offer to play in Turkey may attract. And Beckham’s business advisors would see another big commercial market they could exploit.
Besiktas have demonstrated a willingness to bolster their squad by luring top stars in the autumn of their careers.
Guti, the Spaniard, and Ricardo Quaresma, the Portuguese, are both in a squad that has reached the knockout stages of the Europa League.
The club would see Beckham’s involvement, even for three months, helping re-establish them as a leading power in the Turkish league. And it has obvious commercial advantages for themselves, too.
The club’s basketball arm showed their ambition earlier in the year when they lured Allen Iverson, former MVP of the NBA, to play for them. Beckham, if he came, would be their franchise name for the football side of the club.