Arrivederci, Posh 'n Becks?

LONDON -- David Beckham's proposed loan move to AC Milan could be more than just a temporary deal and might mean "arrivederci" for good to the Posh 'n Becks show in America.

At a time when Major League Soccer will be in its off season and Beckham isn't playing for the Los Angeles Galaxy, he badly needs competitive action to keep his spot on the England squad.

AC Milan president Adriano Galliani said Wednesday the club is close to finalizing a deal for Beckham to join the Italian side in January and play in Serie A for a few months before returning to Los Angeles.

But there could be more to Beckham's move to Milan, a glamorous city as famous for its fashion industry as for football and opera.

It could be an ideal new home for Beckham and his wife Victoria, the Spice Girl now heavily into promoting her own fashion lines.

If her husband teams up at Milan with the likes of Brazilian stars Ronaldinho and Kaka, it will raise his profile back in Europe again. It would also increase his own commercial earnings.

Milan could consider transforming the loan deal into a permanent move and buy out the remainder of Beckham's five-year contract with the Galaxy, for whom his appearances and performances have been inconsistent.

Beckham announced his move to the Galaxy in January 2007, although he didn't start playing for the team until July of that year after the conclusion of his contract with Real Madrid.

Although Beckham's move to America was greeted by hype and hoopla, it has hardly been a major success.

Beckham hobbled into MLS with an ankle injury that kept him sidelined for weeks and, although his arrival was responsible for a big hike in sales of tickets and merchandise, his impact on the field was minimal.

For the second year in a row, Los Angeles has failed to make it to the MLS playoffs after a season when the president/general manager who took him there, Alexi Lalas, was fired.

In his short spell, Beckham has played under three coaches, Frank Yallop, Ruud Gullit and Bruce Arena. Four, if you count stand-in Cobi Jones, who took charge of one game before Arena replaced Gullit.

Such a history suggests Beckham could be going nowhere with the Galaxy, despite his salary of US$6.5 million a year -- twice that of the next highest earner.

Although Beckham and his family are friends and neighbors with another celebrity couple, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, the former England captain may consider his football career could stagnate if he stays in Los Angeles.

A return to Europe, where he won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League with Manchester United and the Spanish league with Real Madrid, would certainly mean the chance of more medals.

Milan is climbing in the Serie A title race and doing well in the UEFA Cup.

The Italian club is a seven-time winner of European football's most prestigious club competition, now known as the Champions League, and Beckham would join a star-studded lineup -- Ronaldinho, Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko, Paolo Maldini, Alessandro Nesta, Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso and Filippo Inzaghi.

With his trademark free kicks and accurate passes, Beckham would fit in well in that company. He would also stand a good chance of keeping his place on the England squad, now under the guidance of hugely successful former AC Milan coach Fabio Capello, who also was his coach at Real Madrid.

Beckham hasn't started any of England's four World Cup qualifying victories so far, although Capello brought him on as a late substitute each time.

That means the 33-year-old Beckham is still in his thoughts. But Capello had made it clear to Beckham and other players that he does not select those who are not in regular competitive action.

With England friendlies to come against Germany in November and Spain and Slovakia early next year, Beckham doesn't watch to lose his place before World Cup qualifying resumes against Ukraine on April 1 and Kazakhstan and Andorra in June.

A move to Europe and regular starts for Milan would help him stay on course for what he hopes would be a fourth World Cup in South Africa in 2010. If he stays in MLS with the Galaxy, Beckham might end up watching it on TV.