Is David Beckham's loan to AC Milan a trade in disguise?

On Friday, no less a figure than Sir Alex Ferguson, the coach of Beckham's first professional team, Manchester United, said it was "hardly a surprise" to see Beckham try to negotiate even a temporary move to the Italian club.

"Going to the United States does not get you the kind of football he is used to," Ferguson said. "It is not the right level of football, therefore coming back to the mainstream of the game is not a surprise."

On Wednesday, MLS Commissioner Don Garber insisted that Beckham "will be here for the start of the 2009 MLS season" in mid- to late March, a point that was underlined on Thursday by Ivan Gazidis, the deputy commissioner of MLS.

"We are in exploratory talks to look at whether the opportunity makes sense for the Galaxy and David," Gazidis told Reuters. "If it does -- and only if it does -- then things will go forward.

"I don't think the Galaxy have any interest in him missing regular-season games."

In Europe, Adriano Galliani, AC Milan's vice president, told Conto TV that he was "confident" an agreement could be reached.

"The deal is not done yet," Galliani said. "We have to define everything with his lawyers and the Galaxy. I am confident, but it is absolutely not closed.

"We will have time in the upcoming weeks to go over the deal in full agreement with the Galaxy. We don't want to undermine the Californian club."

Beckham's immediate plans include playing for the Galaxy in its season finale on Sunday against FC Dallas in Carson, and then accompanying the team on its two-game tour of New Zealand and Australia in early December.

After that, he would be on vacation until joining AC Milan at the beginning of January if a loan comes about. The first match he could play for Milan would be on the road at AS Roma on Jan. 11.

Beckham joined the Galaxy after winning a Spanish league title with Real Madrid in 2007. Ramon Calderon, Real Madrid's president, said in London today that the midfielder can still have an impact at the highest level. "He is a player who can give a lot to the club he signs for," Calderon said.

That view was shared by other influential figures, including Arrigo Sacchi, who coached Italy to the World Cup final at the Rose Bowl in 1994 and under whom AC Milan won back-to-back European championships in 1989 and 1990.