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QPR confirm Beckham is training with club

David Beckham's football career is almost over - but his sons (including Cruz, pictured) might be about to pursue theirs © Getty Images

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Queens Park Rangers have confirmed that Brooklyn Beckham has been training with the club - but have denied that David Beckham's son has joined the youth setup.

Brooklyn, 14, had previously been involved with the academy at Los Angeles Galaxy while his father was playing with the MLS side - before undergoing a trial with Europa League champions Chelsea after the Beckham family returned to Europe at the start of the year.

The Beckhams have recently bought a house in West London, close to the QPR training centre. Reports in the press had suggested that Brooklyn had joined the recently-relegated club - but the Championship side denied that a formal arrangement has been agreed.

"Contrary to reports, Brooklyn Beckham has been training at #QPR but has not joined our academy," the club said on Twitter.

David Beckham announced his retirement from football last week, bringing to a close an illustrious career that saw him claim 115 England caps. The former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder recently revealed his hopes that his children will follow in his footsteps.

"They've got a great life set up for them," Beckham told The Times recently. "Obviously our boys and little girl are very lucky. But I think, as a parent, you always worry: 'Have they got the hunger that I had as a kid?'

"I'm as hard on my boys as my dad was. They always ask, 'Did I play well?' I'll say, 'You did alright, could have done better...'"

Meanwhile, Beckham could be set for a profitable first move in his retirement - with US financial publication Forbes noting that the former Galaxy star could be set for a $50 million windfall if he takes up his option to start a new MLS franchise.

On Tuesday, Manchester City and the New York Yankees announced the foundation of the latest MLS franchise, New York City FC, which will begin playing in the league in 2015. Together, the two sports teams paid $100m in so-called 'expansion fees' for the right to introduce the franchise.

Beckham, meanwhile, has a long-standing agreement with MLS that he can buy a start-up franchise for $25m - something he recently described as an "interesting option".

Forbes notes that, with Beckham's new franchise likely to be worth at least $70m by its first competitive game, he could make a huge and immediate profit.

"Grabbing an MLS team for $25 million would be a huge windfall for the 38-year old Beckham," the article noted. "That was a reasonable price six years ago. But MLS team values have increased at an 18% compound annual rate since 1995.

"Even a $70 million fair market valuation for Beckham's expansion team will be a handsome reward for all he did for MLS."

The last team to join MLS, Montreal Impact, cost the owners $40m in expansion fees back in 2012.

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