David Beckham deal could be wrapped up by the weekend

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An agreement that would see David Beckham move from the Galaxy to AC Milan on a permanent basis could be hammered out as early as the coming weekend.

According to reports in Europe, Umberto Gandini, an AC Milan director and the man directly handling the Serie A team’s attempt to land Beckham, will travel to Los Angeles on Thursday for face-to-face talks with Tim Leiweke, the chief executive of AEG, which owns the Galaxy.

The move comes in the wake of Italian media reports that Beckham has agreed to take a reduction in his salary from the $6.5-million he earns with the Galaxy to an estimated $4.4 million a year he would receive from Milan on an expected 18-month contract.

The Italian club, meanwhile, is said to be ready to increase its offer for Beckham from the initial bid of $3 million to $5 million -- or more.

The figure is still well short of the $10 million to $15 million that AEG and Major League Soccer are seeking, but Italian media suggested that Beckham might find a way to financially negotiate a way out of his five-year contract with MLS in such a manner that the Galaxy, the league and their sponsors are satisfied.

Leiweke was on a skiing trip to Colorado over the long weekend and not immediately available for comment. Similarly, Don Garber, the commissioner of MLS, was on vacation in Spain and unreachable.

Beckham is expected to play for AC Milan in its UEFA Cup game against Werder Bremen in Germany on Wednesday night, the same night the Galaxy will be playing Oita Trinita of Japan in the second Pan-Pacific Championship at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

-- Grahame L. Jones