LOS ANGELES — David Beckham has been helping LA Galaxy in their bid to sign Brazilian playmaker Kaka from Real Madrid as his replacement, the Major League Soccer club's owner said Friday. Kaka recently expressed interest in a future move to MLS and Friday Tim Leiweke, president of Galaxy's owners AEG, told SI.com they wanted to sign the 2007 World Player of the Year. “We're well aware of Kaka's interest in MLS, and we in turn have made it very clear to him that he's aware of our interest in him,” said Leiweke. “We have a great relationship with Real Madrid, and just as we worked through a player with them six years ago (Beckham), I'm absolutely convinced we could find the right deal this time, too,” he added on the Sports Illustrated website. In an earlier interview with the Galaxy's official podcast Leiweke said they wanted a player to boost the club's profile in the Hispanic community and said Beckham, who played with Kaka at AC Milan, had taken a leading role in the bid. “The guy who introduced us to this player is David Beckham. David has done the yeoman's work on our behalf at introducing us, getting him comfortable, getting his family comfortable, talking about LA and the organization,” Leiweke said. Beckham will play his final competitive game with the Galaxy in Saturday's MLS Cup final against Houston Dynamo. Galaxy's Ireland striker Robbie Keane said he would be delighted to see the Brazilian take Beckham's spot. Beckham's involvement in the attempted deal for his replacement is another fascinating aspect of the former England midfielder's future plans. Beckham has an option to take an ownership share in a future expansion team in MLS, but Leiweke suggested his involvement will be with the Galaxy. Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber also noted that the Galaxy were keen to keep Beckham involved at their club. — Reuters
