CARSON, Calif. — Regardless of David Beckham's comments, Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein said he and he teammates would welcome his return.

"We want him back," Klein said. "David's a very good player and a he's a great teammate. At the end of the day, what's going to happen is completely out of our hands. We're just trying to prepare with the team we have here."

Since being loaned to AC Milan, Beckham has said that he wants to stay with the Serie A club and hopes that it and Major League Soccer can agree upon a transfer.

Beckham has said that playing with AC Milan has improved his physical conditioning and rejuvenated him as a player. He seeks to play for England in the 2010 World Cup.

Bruce Arena, the Galaxy's coach and general manager, said today that he could not confirm reports concerning a possible meeting between AC Milan's representatives and MLS and Galaxy officials later this week to complete a transfer.

"Obviously, I would suspect from the comments I've heard from David that there would be some discussions," Arena said. "But I have nothing confirmed at this point."

AC Milan Vice President Adriano Galliani reportedly said that a deal to transfer Beckham could be reached by Friday.

Asked whether the loan agreement includes an option for AC Milan to purchase Beckham's contract, Arena said he had not seen the agreement, which expires March 8.

"Without me seeing it, I would doubt that highly," Arena said. "That doesn't mean that you can't still have a transfer but I doubt there's an option to buy in the agreement."

Arena added that he is consulting about Beckham with Tim Leiweke, president and chief executive officer of Anschutz Entertainment Group, with owns the Galaxy.

"My role is to give input to Mr. Leiweke in the decision-making process," Arena said. "I think that at this point in time, we're in agreement as to how we think we're going to move forward in the best interests of the Galaxy."