Retired English football star David Beckham toured potential stadium sites in Miami on Wednesday (November 13), signalling he is forging ahead with his interest in owning a new Major League franchise in the United States.
It was the second time in five months that Beckham, a former star with Manchester United, Real Madrid and the MLS club L.A. Galaxy, has visited Miami.
Last month, a source familiar with the negotiations said that Beckham, who retired from professional football earlier this year, has chosen the city as the site for an expansion team. His MLS player contract included an option to create a team for $25 million (£15.59m).
On Wednesday, Beckham visited the campus of Florida International University and the Marlins Park baseball stadium with one possible investor in the MLS team, Bolivian-born billionaire Marcelo Claure, CEO of Miami-based wireless services company Brightstar Corporation.
The two looked at the stadiums as potential sites until a possible permanent football stadium can be built, said Vanessa Santana-Penate, a spokeswoman for Miami-Dade county mayor Carlos Gimenez.
Claure, who owns his own football team in Bolivia, posted a picture on his Instagram account with Beckham and Simon Fuller, whose management company 19 Entertainment handles Beckham's business affairs.
MLS has confirmed the league is in discussions with Beckham about a team but has said it is awaiting a formal bid, including details of the ownership group and a stadium plan.
Beckham's Galaxy contract contained a franchise option, for a set fee of $25 million, much less than the $100 million Manchester City and the New York Yankees paid for their new team, New York City FC, which will join the league in 2015.
