David Beckham could return to Spain

Former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham could reportedly come to the rescue of financially crippled Malaga, by becoming the Spanish club's majority shareholder.

Malaga will compete in the Champions League for the first time this season having finished fourth in La Liga last term, but their Qatari owners have been forced to float their shares on the stock market, owing to mounting debts.

These financial problems have threatened the salaries of players and staff at La Rosaleda, and led to the sale of star player Santi Cazorla to Arsenal for a cut-price fee during the summer.

Malaga, however, could be saved by Beckham and former LA Galaxy general manager Alexi Lalas who, according to the LA Times and Marca, are interested in buying 75 percent of the Andalusian team's shares.

Beckham spent four years in Spanish football after joining Real Madrid from Manchester United for £25 million in 2003.

The former England captain made 155 appearances for Los Blancos during his time at the Santiago Bernabeu, before joining LA Galaxy on a free transfer.