David Robert Joseph Beckham

Beckham - wants to stay in Italy.

David Beckham confirmed he hopes to stay at AC Milan on a permanent basis.

The England midfielder's loan spell from Los Angeles Galaxy expires on March 9 and the Italian club were hoping to extend it.

But, after playing the first half of Milan's 2-2 friendly draw against Rangers at Ibrox, Beckham revealed he hoped to make it a permanent transfer.

He said: "At the moment my lawyers are not talking to the Galaxy but I have expressed my desire to stay at AC Milan now and it's just down to Milan and Galaxy to come to an agreement.

"I have enjoyed my time here. I knew I would enjoy it but I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I have and enjoy it as much as I have."

Beckham is closely watched by Mendes.

David Beckham was undoubtedly the star attraction as 45,197 supporters braved freezing conditions to watch him in action for AC Milan in a glamour friendly against Rangers at Ibrox.

But, ironically, it was only after the former England captain was substituted at half-time that the goals began to flow.

Another former star of Major League Soccer, DaMarcus Beasley, opened the scoring, only for his moment in the spotlight to be overshadowed by Brazil's latest star Pato, before Kaka and Sasa Papac both netted late on.

AC Milan's arrival at Glasgow Airport earlier in the day had sparked a frenzy, with Beckham mobbed by adoring fans as speculation raged over his future, with the Rossoneri keen to retain his services beyond his three-month loan spell in Serie A.

Fans were treated to the sight of the LA Galaxy midfielder from the outset, with Ronaldinho and Andriy Shevchenko also among those in the starting line-up, while £100million-rated Kaka started on the bench.

There were more surprises in the Rangers line-up, with captain Barry Ferguson and leading scorer Kris Boyd named as substitutes and Lee McCulloch, Maurice Edu, Steven Naismith and Lyle Lafferty all given a run-out from the start.

Beckham's first couple of touches were met with a combination of jeers and whistles, before Edu attempted to spark the game into life with an ambitious run into the box which brought no end product.

Lafferty went closer when he threw himself in front of a teasing John Fleck cross from the left only to nod over, before Allan McGregor did well to block a mis-hit Filippo Inzaghi effort.

The Rangers goalkeeper was called into action again when Ronaldinho was fouled just outside the box by Naismith, leaving Ibrox wondering which of Milan's deadball specialists would step up for the free-kick.

The job went to Ronaldinho himself, and his ferocious effort drew an excellent save from McGregor, who did well to push the stinging shot past his right-hand post.

Rangers had a couple of decent chances of their own before the break, with McCulloch drawing a save from Dida with a point-blank header and Pedro Mendes dragging narrowly wide of the upright.

Beckham was among those withdrawn at half-time, with both teams making a whole host of changes for the second half.

Neil Alexander - on for McGregor - was given an early taste of the action when he was forced to race off his line and claim a long ball from Andrea Pirlo before Inzaghi was able to unleash the shot 10 yards out.

Ronaldinho then stepped up for another free-kick 25 yards out but saw the effort crash off the Rangers wall.

That proved to be his last real involvement of the game and he was sacrificed for the introduction of Kaka, who earned one of the biggest cheers of the night when he was thrown into the action with half an hour to go.

Another big cheer arrived with 65 minutes on the clock when second-half substitute Beasley picked up the ball outside the box, bore down on goal and slotted low past Dida into the bottom corner.

Milan simply upped the tempo and restored parity five minutes later. Kaka's powerful cross was blocked on the by-line, cannoned off the body of Steven Whittaker and fell kindly to Pato, who tapped home from just outside the six-yard box.

The Rangers net was bulging again with 12 minutes to go when Kaka demonstrated his class, embarking on a 20-yard run before unleashing a low shot from the edge of the area which left Alexander with no chance.

Walter Smith threw Boyd into the action but it was Papac who had the final say, with a close-range shot at the near post after 83 minutes, after Spanish youngster Aaron had done all the hard work.

Beckham - could extend stay in Italy.

AC Milan general manager Adriano Galliani has revealed David Beckham's lawyers are in talks with Los Angeles Galaxy over extending the midfielder's stay at the San Siro.

Beckham has been a revelation since arriving at Milan, where he has scored two goals, and on Sunday provided two key assists to help his side to a 3-0 win at Lazio - a result which propelled them to second in the Serie A table.

The England midfielder's loan deal is set to end on March 9 but Galliani has already admitted the club would love to keep him at the San Siro for longer and he has now revealed the wheels have been set in motion for that to happen.

"Beckham's lawyers are talking to the Los Angeles Galaxy, who are the rightful owners of his registration," said the Milan chief. "If they show themselves to be ready to look at a deal, we would be really happy to do so.

"At the moment there's neither optimism nor pessimism.

"The player belongs to Galaxy. We wish they decide to release him, but if they don't change their minds the player is theirs.

"We are looking to get him either on loan until the end of the season or on a permanent basis. Otherwise, with the greatest regret from everyone - starting with me - Beckham will have to go."

Galliani added: "Players can make their choices but their clubs can refuse their wishes.

"Moreover, the Los Angeles Galaxy have always been very nice to us and have behaved in a very gentlemanly manner.

"In any case at this moment there are no dealings and we haven't made an offer, but Beckham's lawyers are talking with Los Angeles.

"There is time until March 8 to get us round a table and close a possible deal."

Beckham's arrival has boosted the Rossoneri, who have avoided defeat in their last five league games while climbing to second in the Serie A standings, six points behind league leaders Inter Milan.

Beckham remained tight lipped as he arrived in Scotland on Wednesday.

The former England captain touched down just before midday at Glasgow Airport with the rest of his team-mates ahead of the friendly with Rangers.

But in an atmosphere reminiscent of the chaos which greeted Argentina boss Diego Maradona when he visited the city in November, Beckham refused to answer any questions.

However, a leading employment lawyer has warned the Los Angeles Galaxy "hold all the cards" as Beckham's future comes under the spotlight again.

Any attempt to sign for the club on a permanent deal could prove costly though, according to Peter Mooney, head of consultancy with Employment Law Advisory Services.

Mooney believes Galaxy have the advantage in negotiations.

Mooney said: "He has to get himself out of his contract with LA Galaxy so he'll be wanting to get a fair deal out of it, but if he doesn't take out proper advice then it could end up being quite expensive, even by his standards.

"LA Galaxy hold all the cards at the moment. They have to agree to a change in the deal whether it is in terms of an extension or a sale.

"They will have invested a lot of money in the player. When he went there was a huge fanfare of publicity.

"Perhaps Galaxy are thinking they are not getting their money's worth but no doubt they are getting a handsome fee from AC Milan for the loan."