David Beckham may buy Versace mansion

Miami, Aug 9 (IANS/EFE) Retired soccer icon David Beckham and his wife Victoria are considering the possibility of buying the Miami Beach mansion that belonged to slain Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, the South Florida Business Journal said on its website.

The 38-year-old former England international soccer star could be one of the bidders for Casa Casuarina in a Sep 17 auction.

Bidders must place a $3 million deposit in escrow and must be able to prove that they have $40 million in funds, the business paper said Thursday.

Peter Loftin purchased the property in 2000 for $19 million and converted it into a luxury hotel.

The iconic mansion was put on the market for $75 million, but no buyers have stepped forward and the Nakash family, of Jordache jeans fame, purchased a loan on the property from a German bank and is trying to foreclose.

The Nakash family has an interest in the Victor Hotel next door to Casa Casuarina, which was constructed in 1930 by Alden Freeman, an heir to the Standard Oil fortune.

The mansion, which has 10 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, is known for the statue of Aphrodite in its garden.

Beckham, who retired at the end of the 2012-13 season, has sparked great expectation in Miami with the possibility that he may launch a Major League Soccer franchise in the Magic City.

Thanks to a clause in his contract when he signed with the LA Galaxy, the Englishman can buy an MLS franchise for $25 million.

Versace bought Casa Casuarina in 1992 and turned it into a palace in the style of the Roman Empire.

The Italian designer was gunned down July 15, 1997, by Andrew Cunanan, a male prostitute suspected of murdering four other men.

Cunanan committed suicide in a Miami Beach houseboat eight days later.

--IANS/EFE

rd/dg