Real Want To Keep Beckham

David Beckham's personal assistant has revealed that Real Madrid are planning to hold onto the player despite speculation linking him with Chelsea.

"Unless Real want to sell him, he's staying," Terry Byrne told The People newspaper. "The truth is, we don't know where the stories about him leaving are coming from, but it's not us."

"Real told me they don't want to sell him."

"The situation remains the same because we always said we would review the situation after two years and he hasn't even finished his first season."

"Obviously we have talked about what would happen if he came home but there are only a few clubs he could go to."

"We will sit down with Real at the end of the season and discuss his future, but the bottom line is that David loves playing for Real Madrid."

Real sporting director Jorge Valdano added: "Real Madrid prefer to distance themselves from all this talk."

"Beckham has a five-year contract and there is a buy-out clause [180m euros] that anybody interested must pay."