Beckham demands £40M to stay with Real Madrid

Real Madrid midfielder David Beckham wants a mega £10 million-a-year over four years to re-sign with the club.

The News of the World says the England captain is set to begin talks over a new deal and wants to double his £5.5m-a-year wages. At £10m a year, Real will have to pay the world's highest wages to keep hold of the player.
 
But even that stunning sum represents only a fraction of what Beckham brings to the club - modest estimates indicate that figure is at least £50m a year.

Becks, whose current deal runs out in 2007, earns the same wages as Real's other stars like Zinedine Zidane, Raul and Ronaldo.

The England megastar has catapulted Real into the top spot of the Football Money League for the coming year.

Madrid's earnings topped £190 million for last season and are certain to overtake Manchester United, when Deloitte and Touche publish the Football Money League-showing up the folly of Old Trafford's bigwigs to get rid of Beckham.

Last season Real pocketed a staggering £80 million in merchandising sales-and raked in a further £16m from their lucrative Japan tour which president Perez admitted was all down to Madrid's Becks appeal.