David Beckham to buy a team in MLS

Miami Heat LeBron James talks to fans including soccer star David Beckham (2nd L) as the Heat play the New York Knicks during their NBA game February 1, 2014 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Retired footballer David Beckham is set to return to Major League Soccer as an owner.

The former Manchester United playmaker is taking up the option to buy a Major League Soccer franchise in Miami and, is expected to make an official announcement of his acquirement of the new team at a news conference in Miami on Wednesday along with MLS commissioner Don Garber.

Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez confirmed the date of the event on Wednesday after having long discussions with with Beckham’s ownership group, Miami Beckham United, according to the Miami Herald.

Beckham, 38, was offered to acquire an MLS team at a discounted rate of $ 25 million as it was included in his clause when he joined the Los Angeles Galaxy back in 2007.

A county-owned waterfront lot on the south-west corner of PortMiami is being touted as the preferred choice which Beckham hopes to lease and build a 25,000-seat stadium upon.

“There’s a lot of work that needs to happen,” MLS commissioner Garber said. “We can’t go to Miami without the right stadium solution. David understands that. The city understands that. That’s an indisputable fact. We can’t have different rules in Miami than we have in any other city. We want to do as much as we can to work with David and Simon Fuller (Beckham’s manager) to get something done as quickly as we can.”