Beckham in talks with Shanghai Shenhua

David Beckham is lining up a great wall of money by playing in China.

Already known across the vast nation as Gold Globes – the Mandarin version of Goldenballs – the former England skipper is in talks with a Chinese Super League club.

And if the Far Eastern promise ­arrives, Becks will pocket eye-watering riches from the world’s second-biggest economy.

A contract with Super League team Shanghai Shenhua would net a minimum £250,000-a-week pay packet.

But it’s the haul from merchandising deals that would be the greatest – estimated by experts at £20million. 

It would take Brand Beckham – already worth £190 million – to world domination. 

The move is being personally masterminded by TV’s Pop Idol mogul Simon Fuller, a close pal and business associate of the Beckhams. 

Shanghai Shenhua owner Zhu Jun has already lured former Chelsea strikers Didier Drogba, 34, and Nicolas Anelka, 33.

The deal would give David, 37, and wife Victoria the chance to sell their brands in a nation of nearly one-and-a-half billion people. 

Becks has a bodywear range with fashion chain H&M and his own aftershave, while Posh, 38, has her fashion range. 

A source close to David told the Sunday People : “He has cracked Europe and America, he now has the chance to become huge in China and the Far East. This is a huge decision for him. 

“While David wants one final challenge in football, a move to China is about more than that. It will push Brand Beckham to a whole new level.”

Becks announced he was leaving American Major League Soccer team LA Galaxy last month after nearly six years there. 

Shortly after, Victoria began house hunting in south-west London so the family could relocate to the UK. 

Her husband had been linked with a move to Paris St Germain or Monaco. But both options have faded away in recent days. 

He has already had a taste of Becksmania in China when he was mobbed while making his debut for Spanish side Real Madrid against a Chinese Select XI Beijing in 2003. 

Becks’s move to Shanghai, which is estimated will be the richest city in the world by 2030, would mean commuting from England to China. 

That’s an 11,000-mile round trip which takes 11 hours each way. Sources close to the star suggest he is keen to take up the challenge. 

Negotiations are likely to continue when the Beckhams return from their Christmas family holiday. 

David is likely to be offered between £250,000 and £350,000 per week and will also be entitled to a large percentage of replica shirt sales that are sold by the Shanghai club. 

One source said: “David always said he wanted one more challenge and he loves the idea of playing in China. 

“It will undoubtedly make him a global star. He won’t have just conquered Europe and America, but the Far East too. It is also appealing to Becks as it is very different to anywhere he has played before and he is keen to promote football in places where it isn’t particularly high-profile. 

“He is so passionate about the game and likes the idea that he can share that with people who don’t already appreciate it. 

“Talks have begun and while he is on his Christmas break he and Victoria are ­discussing it as a very serious option.” 

Media and brand commentator Mark Borkowski thinks a move to China will take the Beckhams to a new level. 

He said: “The Beckham Brand, or dynasty as it is now, will always have huge impact while David can play football. 

“So if he can have an impact in China it is a great move. I’m sure he’s looking for the best deal in his autumnal playing years. 

“It is a very smart move indeed. Simon Fuller is no fool and his team are great so they will be thinking about this carefully.” 

Simon, 52, who runs international talent firm XIX Entertainment, introduced Victoria to David when he managed the Spice Girls and is a close adviser to the couple. 

Borkowski added: “Big entertainment brands don’t think they have a hit until they have cracked China. It is a massive market. So for Beckham the old world is coming to an end and the new world is calling. 

“People expected him to fail in Spain, then America, but he confounded them all. His next move will be no different.” 

Victoria has been looking at London schools for sons Brooklyn, 13, Romeo, 10 and seven-year-old Cruz. Harper, 18 months, is also likely to enrol in a nursery in the capital. 

It’s likely David would sign for Shenhua next month in time for the Chinese Super League’s season which begins in early March and finishes in November. 

But the massive commute would make life difficult. 

The source added: “David is a very hands on father and loves spending time with all of his kids. He and Victoria don’t like employing nannies. 

“They prefer to care for their own children so him playing so far away will be difficult for both of them. 

“But David wants one more chance to achieve a new challenge before he has to retire. A 22-hour round trip is a long journey but they have always made sacrifices for one another.” 

Since they began dating in 1997, Posh and Becks have carefully pioneered their way to become one of the world’s most successful and lucrative brands. 

In the New Year Victoria will launch an online fashion boutique which will sell her denim range, accessories and her popular range of sunglasses. 

And earlier this month, the Beckhams’ middle son Romeo was unveiled as a new face of Burberry for their spring/summer 2013 campaign.

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Source: SundayPeople