Chelsea target troubled Becks

Chelsea are closely watching developments in the turbulent professional and private life of David Beckham, Standard Sport can reveal.

A successful move to bring the England captain back to his London home from Real Madrid in the summer would be a spectacular coup for new owner Roman Abramovich and chief executive Peter Kenyon.

Following allegations that Beckham has been having two affairs and his wife Victoria's refusal to move to Madrid, the pressure is increasing on the Real star to return to England for his family's sake. And Chelsea are poised to move if there is any indication the Spanish club are willing to let him go.

It is understood that even before stories about his private life broke, Victoria was telling close friends that he would be coming back to play in this country after Euro 2004. Beckham has since denied this, stating he is happy in Madrid and intends to see out his four-year deal at the Bernabeu.

Yet there are continuing, but unconfirmed reports, that he met Russian billionaire Abramovich in a Madrid restaurant in the last week of February in a meeting organised by a close friend of Beckham. That same friend has been a regular in Madrid in recent weeks and is said to be working towards a position where a deal could happen if all the parties are willing.

The player is no longer represented by the sports management agency SFX and his new personal manager, Terry Byrne, was on Chelsea's backroom staff under Gianluca Vialli and still has close links at the club.

Beckham's early season form at Madrid was sensational but this has since tailed off dramatically and he is now being criticised, along with their other star players, in the Spanish press after some lacklustre performances.

That criticism reached new heights yesterday when supporters unfurled a huge banner at the club's training ground with the message: "For you whores and money. For us, indignation and repression." This was in response to the 3-0 home defeat by Osasuna last weekend.

The club have reacted by ordering the players to leave their families to spend two nights under curfew at the La Manga resort away from Madrid. There are some reports the club's married players were blaming Beckham and the furore surrounding him for the unscheduled change in their training. Nevertheless, Beckham is still central to the club's marketing strategy abroad and following last summer's Asian tour, Real are touring the United States this summer.

That is one of the main reasons he is so attractive to Chelsea as Kenyon attempts to fast-track the club's brand on a global scale. Although Kenyon, when he was Manchester United's chief executive, sold Beckham to Real, the two men's relationship is known to be good.