Beckham set to return to America as owner of new MLS franchise in Miami

David Beckham is in the final round of  negotiations with backers for his return to Major League Soccer as the owner of a new franchise in Miami.

The former England captain had a clause in his original contract with LA Galaxy allowing him to buy an MLS club with a 25 per cent  discount and has almost settled on Florida, where the MLS are keen to expand. He is expected to announce progress before  Christmas once his co-investors are in place.

These could include Bolivia-born billionaire Marcelo Claure, who tried unsuccessfully to launch an MLS franchise in Florida in 2009 and joined Beckham in looking at potential  stadiums in the Miami area last June.

Making his move: David Beckham (left) is in negotiations to return to America as owner of a franchise in Miami

  

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Steve Ross, owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, may also get involved, while another multi-millionaire certain to be part of the consortium is Beckham’s business partner Simon Fuller. The most likely home for the team is Florida International University’s stadium in Miami.

Meanwhile, the next team joining the MLS in 2015 is the Abu Dhabi-owned New York City, with Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano currently in charge of both clubs. NYC’s entry fee was around $100m (£62m), so Beckham’s discount, as well as his world-famous name, will be attractive to potential backers. 
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