Chelsea expects. But will Beckham deliver?

London's upmarket estate agents, a breed never slow to pick up the scent of a lucrative deal on the distant wind, are on 24-hour, all-cars, polished-smiles-at-the-ready alert this weekend. A Very Wealthy and Famous Client is said to be toying with the idea of a pad in town.

David Beckham, for it is he, has now become the subject of fevered speculation not about his love (or text) life, but about what for most of us is the rather more prosaic subject of house-hunting. The legendary performer at set-pieces and apologies to wives is reliably said to be about to leave his temporary, if socially stimulating, berth in Madrid and return to his native London to play for Chelsea.

Not, of course, that he will be house-hunting in person - at least not yet. The man understood to have been selected to find a suitable mansion for "Goldenballs", his wife Victoria and his two sons is Johnny Bergius, a bespectacled property agent who promises his select list of clients "total discretion, constant liaison" -- a concept that the player's lady friends could be said to only half understand.

Last week, Mr Bergius, whose offices are in London's Belgravia, demonstrated those powers of discretion by denying any knowledge of claims that the England captain has already made an offer on a £5.5m listed house in Regent's Park. "Er, no, I don't know anything about it. No ... I mean I don't know anything about it. I'll leave it thank you," he muttered, in response to a call from this newspaper, before abruptly hanging up.

Representatives of 29-year-old Mr Beckham were not willing to make an official comment. But Chelsea FC does seem eager to sign the player, even for a reputedly eye-watering sum of £95m, judging by the gushing comments made by team members about David Beckham's pitch prowess.

In an interview with today's Independent on Sunday, Eidur Gudjohnsen, Chelsea's Icelandic international, broke his usual reserve to say he would welcome the player. "I don't want to get excited about a player joining us before he's here ... He's a tremendous footballer. He would obviously bring a lot of quality to our team," he said.

The speculation over the move comes just weeks after lurid allegations that the sportsman, who has always presented himself as the devoted father and faithful husband, had conducted affairs with two women, including his former assistant Rebecca Loos. A potential move back to the UK is being seen by some as a chance for him to repair any damage those allegations have inflicted on the Beckham brand, which has earned him millions through deals with Pepsi, adidas and Police sunglasses.

The proximity to the Kings Road, with its choice of fashionable boutiques, would be another lure for the shopaholic Mr and Mrs Beckham,

The Beckhams already have a mansion in Hertfordshire, dubbed "Beckingham Palace". John Vaughn who acts for Savills property agents, said a mansion in Esher, in Surrey's stockbroker belt, would be far more suitable for the Beckhams than a home in London or Hertfordshire.

According to Savills, there has been an influx of Chelsea footballers to Esher over the past year with as many as six buying properties for between £1m and £4.5m.