DAVID Beckham has sealed the most lucrative transfer in football history by agreeing to move to the United States. The 31-year-old former United midfielder will earn £128m in salary, image rights and sponsorship over five years with LA Galaxy when he joins them in August - which works out at an astonishing £492,000 a week.

Beckham's decision to quit Real Madrid at the end of this season and turn his back on Europe could launch Major League Soccer into orbit. Galaxy are owned by American billionaire Philip Anschutz - who is involved in the redevelopment of the Millennium Dome and who used to hold the M.E.N. Arena as part of his portfolio - and the willingness of his company AEG to bankroll the Beckham deal suggests he is ready to push US soccer into the big league.

It's the latest stage of a remarkable career journey from Beckham, who has come a long way since his days living in club digs in Salford, and playing in the Third Division while on loan at Preston North End. But Beckham, who stood down as England captain after last summer's World Cup, insists the deal is not about the money. He said: "I don't want to go out to America at 34, with people saying: 'He is only going for the money.' "I am going out to try to build a team which has a lot of potential; that's what excites me."

Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop, a former Ipswich defender, said that Beckham's signing was a dream come true. "He is going to do very well here," Yallop said. "He is coming here at the peak of his career." But business experts believe that Beckham's move will also help maintain his marketing value.

Stuart Whitwell, joint managing director of brand consultants Intangible Business, argues that Beckham's image will benefit more from being the centre of attention at Galaxy than it would from staying at Madrid, where he often has to settle for a place on the bench.

"I think it is a wise decision," Whitwell said. "Why be marginalised in Europe when you can be the main draw over there?

"He is something that young girls in particular are attached to, and he can sell stuff."

Major League Soccer bosses changed their salary cap rules in November to allow big-money.