Real Madrid 'preparing £40m bid' for Beckham

The England captain David Beckham could be the subject of a £40m bid from Real Madrid in the summer, according to reports last night.

The Spanish club's managing director, Jorge Valdano, said: "The way Real Madrid have pulled off the biggest transfer market coups of the last few seasons, Beckham looks like the next big project for us."

The Manchester United midfielder responded by saying: "Any player would be honoured to be spoken about by Real Madrid." United will face Real in the quarter-finals of the European Cup next month.

Eighty years after 57,000 watched Manchester City beat Sheffield United 3-1 in their new stadium, Maine Road is to be demolished.

At the end of this season, City will move into the £100m City of Manchester stadium, and the plan for Sale rugby union club to move in has fallen through after Sale and council officials failed to reach an agreement.

The architect Charles Swain had been asked to design a "Wembley of the North" and, on 23 August 1923, City played their first game there. The stadium holds the record for an English league game – the 83,260 who watched Manchester United v Arsenal in 1948, when Old Trafford was still bomb-damaged.

The ground may make way for a series of developments that could include housing, retail outlets, youth and sports facilities. Sale will hold a meeting next week to discuss their future.