LONDON — Manchester United agreed to sell David Beckham to Barcelona on Tuesday, but it appears the English superstar is not interested.

After months of speculation about the England captain's future, Manchester United said it had accepted a transfer bid from Barcelona FC presidential candidate Joan Laporta.

The club said the deal was contingent on Laporta winning Sunday's election and Beckham agreeing to contract terms.

"Manchester United confirms that, in the event that all of the conditions are fulfilled, then the offer would be acceptable,'' the club statement said.

But Beckham's management company, SFX, issued a statement saying he had no plans to meet Laporta.

"David is very disappointed and surprised to learn of this statement and feels that he has been used as a political pawn in the Barcelona presidential elections,'' the statement said. "David's advisers have no plans to meet Mr. Laporta or his representatives.''

At a news conference Tuesday, Laporta said he would be talking to Beckham as soon as the player returned from a holiday in the United States.

"It's true that this agreement with Manchester United has a condition that we reach a arrange an agreement with the player and with his agent,'' Laporta said.

"I respect the position of the agent of the player and we hope to convince them in order for David Beckham to come to Barcelona if we win the next election at the club.

"If I am not elected president, I would turn over the transfer to the man who does win.''

But another candidate, Josep Martinez-Rovira, said he had no interest in signing the England captain.

"Beckham is a media signing and more of a dream than reality. He is a player we would never try to sign,'' Rovira told Spanish radio.

"He crosses well but we need someone to score the goals. We want to sign a No. 9. Beckham makes a lot of news off the pitch but we're not interested in appearing in gossip columns.''

As is customary with transfer dealing, no fee was revealed by Manchester United. Newspaper reports have said any bid for Beckham would have to be at least 30 million pounds ($67.5 million Cdn).

United's share price rose seven pence (16 cents) or four per cent after the announcement.

Sandro Rosell, Laporta's campaign manager, insisted the deal could still go through despite Beckham's apparent rejection.

"I think that, if we win the elections, there are big possibilities of that happening,'' Rosell told Sky Sports News. "We are not using Beckham at all. We are following FIFA rules. We did not talk to the player first because the first thing was to talk to the club.''

Beckham's father, Ted, said he would urge his son to stay.

"I don't want him to go,'' he said. "I shall tell him not to go there. I want him to stay at Manchester United.''

"I don't want him to go just because a certain person wants him to go,'' he said, in a clear reference to manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

United reportedly will use money from a Beckham sale to add new talent. The club has been linked with a move for Brazilian World Cup star Ronaldinho, who is currently with Paris Saint-Germain, and Leeds United's Australian forward Harry Kewell.

Ferguson is also believed to be after a goalkeeper and defender. The sale of Beckham, who would be a free agent when his current deal expires in two years, will help pay for that shopping list.

FC Barcelona said Tuesday it had no comment on the Beckham transfer and referred all queries to Laporta, who could not be immediately contacted.

Other teams reported to be interested in Beckham were Real Madrid, AC Milan and Inter Milan.

Unlike those three, Barcelona has not secured a place in European cup competition next year. That could be a deterrent to Beckham, who is used to playing on European soccer's biggest stage.

Laporta, a 40-year-old lawyer, is one of six candidates running for the Barcelona presidency, a vote that will be decided by the club's 94,000 members. British reports peg him as second in the running but say he is rapidly gaining ground. The vote is Sunday.

Florentino Perez used a similar tactic in 2000 when he ran for the presidency of Real Madrid, promising to buy Portuguese star or else buy season tickets for all club members if he failed. He won and bought Figo.

Beckham, who earns a reported 90,000 pounds a week ($202,715 Cdn) at Manchester United, would have to agree to terms on a contract with Barcelona before any move could happen.

The 28-year-old already makes millions more from sponsorship deals with Pepsi, Adidas, Vodafone and others. The Sunday Times recently estimated his net worth, along with pop star wife Posh Spice, at 50 million pounds ($112.7 million Cdn).

France Football estimates Beckham's annual income at 10.5 million pounds ($23.7 million Cdn), the highest in world soccer.

Beckham is a sports and fashion icon whose every move, haircut and comment makes news in Britain and other soccer-crazy countries.

On the soccer field, he is an accomplished right-winger known for laser-like crosses and swerving free kicks.

Manchester United's announcement came after months of speculation about Beckham's future.

Beckham, who has been at Manchester United for almost 13 years and has helped the club win eight league titles in 11 years and the Champions Cup in 1999, is currently in Los Angeles with his wife.

In an interview published before his club's statement, Beckham told the Los Angeles Times he was happy to stay at Manchester United but had never said he would remain there for the rest of his career.

"About a month ago it was Real Madrid and now it's Barcelona,'' he said.

"But I'm a Man United player. I'm contracted to Man United for another two to three years, I think. As long as they want me, I'll stay. But I've never said that I'd never move away from Manchester and I've never said that I'd end my career there.''

Beckham dismissed suggestions of a rift with United manager Alex Ferguson, despite several highly publicized fallouts.

Ferguson left his star player on the bench several times last season and, in a heated argument in the locker-room after a 2-0 loss to Arsenal, kicked a soccer boot that accidentally struck Beckham above the left eye.

"Despite what many people say about me and Sir Alex Ferguson, he's been a father figure to me,'' Beckham said.

"I've been at Man United for 12 years now and, without him, I wouldn't be the player or the person that I am today because he had the confidence when I was 18 years old to put me in the first team.

"Of course you have your ups and downs with any boss in any job but it's just a bit more highlighted with me and him.''

Ferguson has yet to make any public comment on Beckham's future with the club, which just won its eighth Premier League title in 11 years.

But Beckham hinted that a move might happen soon.

"There will always be changes at a team like Man United,'' he said. "With all the big teams there's always going to be changes because you look to strengthen the team whether you win three trophies or you win one.

"There's always going to be changes.''

Barcelona will be hoping to recoup much of its money from a Beckham sale. When Real Madrid bought French star Zinedine Zidane two years ago, it sold 480,000 club shirts with his name on the back within a year, earning 14.4 million pounds ($32.5 million) with the club making a net profit of 6.6 million pounds after paying Zidane his cut, according to the Times of London ($14.9 million Cdn).