Newcastle United have played down reports linking them with a move for former England captain David Beckham.
The Daily Mail newspaper claimed Beckham and wife Victoria had talks with Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd in a London hotel.
But a statement on the club website said: “Newcastle United never comments on transfer speculation.”
And Beckham’s representative in Spain, Simon Oliveira, insisted: “There’s no truth of a meeting taking place.”
He claimed it was purely coincidence that his client and Shepherd were at the hotel at the same time.
“David dropped Victoria at Claridges to have a meeting with her publishers regarding her new book. It just so happened that Shepherd was also there,” Oliveira said.
“But David and Victoria didn’t meet with Freddy Shepherd and they haven’t discussed a move to Newcastle.”
Newcastle stated: “The club has always enjoyed a close relationship with Real Madrid and would never do anything to spoil that relationship.”
New Real president Ramon Calderon has already said he would like Beckham to stay at the Bernabeu “forever” and is preparing a new deal that will keep the midfielder at Real until 2009.
Calderon added: “He is a brilliant player and the supporters here are very much for him. He is also important in the commercial area.”
Oliveira confirmed that he was seeking an extension to the one year left on the player’s Real Madrid deal.
“We are in negotiations to renew his contract,” he said.
“All parties have shown a desire to tie up a new deal and it will come sooner rather than later.”
