David Beckham set to join new soccer team: Paris St. Germain

David Beckham walks off the field after playing his final game with the Galaxy in December.

By Kevin Baxter

Jan. 31, 2013 12 AM PT

Well, now we know why David Beckham suddenly starting showing up at practice with English Premier League club Arsenal earlier this week.

According to multiple reports from London, the former Galaxy midfielder and English national team captain will join Paris St. Germain of France’s Ligue 1 on Thursday, provided he passes a mandatory physical.

For PSG and its deep-pocketed owners -- who have spent more in the last year than any club in Europe, according to the BBC -- the signing comes at the end of a 13-month courtship with Beckham, who was reportedly offered more than $1 million a month to play for them last season. Beckham eventually accepted a fraction of that amount to stay in Los Angeles with the Galaxy, whom he led to a second straight Major League Soccer championship.

Beckham retired from MLS after the Dec. 1 title game, taking a seven-week break that he ended earlier this week by training with Arsenal in London. Before moving his family from Los Angeles to Britain last month, Beckham had insisted his retirement from MLS did not mean he was retiring from soccer completely, saying he hadn’t lost his love or desire for the game.

Beckham, 37, reportedly entertained firm offers from 12 clubs in various countries before deciding to join the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi at PSG, which tops the Ligue 1 table on goal differential. Should the team win the French title, it be a record fourth domestic title in as many countries for Beckham, who has already won championships in Britain with Manchester United, in Spain with Real Madrid and in the U.S. with the Galaxy.

According to the BBC, Beckham was undergoing a physical at Pitie-Salptriere Hospital in Paris on Thursday afternoon. His signing was expected to be formerly announced late Thursday, Paris time.

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