'I want to stay at United,' says Beckham

England captain in no rush to make a decision on future as the man who has promised to take him to Barcelona sweeps to power

It would be lovely to imagine that back in their mock stately home in Hertfordshire, David and Victoria Beckham stayed up for the results of the Barcelona presidential election, the result of which was passed to them on a slip of paper by a liveried flunkey. Then just like Margaret Thatcher, after learning the result of the Conservative leadership run-off with Michael Heseltine, David and Victoria would sweep down the steps of Beckingham Palace to announce to the waiting press: "We fight on, we fight to go to Real Madrid."

Lovely but unlikely. Throughout the most overheated transfer the sport has known, Beckham and his agents, SFX, have affected supreme indifference to Joan Laporta's battle to win the Barcelona presidency on the back of a pledge to bring the world's most famous footballer to the Nou Camp. Their only substantive comment on the £34m deal agreed by Manchester United with Laporta was that they would under no circumstances meet him, and resented Beckham's use as an electoral pawn.

"Can you believe all the shit in the papers?" Beckham is reported to have texted his father before returning from Los Angeles on Saturday.

Jon Holmes, SFX's managing director, yesterday emphasised that very little had been decided. "It is incredibly premature to say David's going here, there or anywhere because, for one thing, he's been out of the country while most of the speculation has occurred," he said. "He says he wants to stay at United but if the club change their position - and we were surprised they announced the deal with Laporta - then anything can happen."

Those comments were echoed by Beckham's close friend, Dave Gardner, a former Manchester United trainee who now runs a sports agency. "David is really upset," he said. "To say he is far from happy is an understatement. All he has ever done is to give 100 per cent to the club. The way they are treating him is shocking. David can't believe what's happened but if he has to go, then so be it."

If there is a window for a deal to be struck, it will have to be when Beckham gets back from his promotional tour of the Far East, which begins on Wednesday. Real Madrid have let it be known they will meet Beckham's agent, Tony Stephens, then and would be anxious to conclude a deal before their pre-season training camp opens in Switzerland next month.

However much everything points to an agreement being struck with Real towards the end of the month, there was a powerfully-expressed argument from Terry Venables that Beckham should choose Barcelona because he would become an unquestioned icon at the Nou Camp while at the Bernabeu, Beckham would be just one star in a firmament.

Venables, who steered Barcelona to the Spanish title in 1985, said: "I am tired of hearing that if Beckham goes to the Nou Camp, he won't be playing Champions' League football next season. Big deal. It is one year, one campaign - and if he's in Manchester United reserves he won't be playing in it either.

"Surely, it must be better to go for a club hungry to rediscover its glory than to one where fans have become almost sated by the expectation of success... Barcelona is a club planning around him. Other clubs may want Beckham but they don't need him as Barcelona do - to spearhead their push for the Champions' League and re-establish their position as one of the great club sides in Europe. He could be their Maldini, their Zidane."

It emerged yesterday that United are being investigated by the Financial Services Authority over the way the club announced the deal to sell Beckham to Barcelona. United revealed the conditional deal on Tuesday, prompting the club's share price to rise 7p. But the Plc did not make a formal statement to the Stock Exchange.

United had made a previous announcement last Saturday confirming that Italian and Spanish clubs were interested in signing Beckham but on that occasion made a formal announcement to the City shortly after the start of trading on the Monday.