Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas admitted David Beckham is still a very special player, but ruled out signing the former England international, while asking Luka Modric to concentrate on his own club rather than stoking the fire over a potential move to Real Madrid for Gareth Bale.
Beckham will play his last game for LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup final, and the superstar has been linked to various clubs including Spurs, a club he trained with in the recent past during the MLS offseason.
Although Beckham has said he would never consider playing for another English club, after enjoying tremendous success with Manchester United where he won six English Premier League titles and one Champions League crown, that hasn't stopped reports of a possible move back to England, with the likes of Spurs and Queens Park Rangers linked.
"He is such a wonderful player," Villas-Boas told reporters. "The rhythm of the Premier League is intense but he has so much experience of it.
"He brings so much to English football. That's why everyone is anxious to see which move he is going to take.
"It would be good to have him back in Europe, but not here, no. I don't think so."
Jermain Defoe, earlier had hoped Spurs, who made a loan move a couple of years back before the deal fell through, would indeed sign the 37-year-old.
"He can come to Spurs if he wants -- we'll have him here," Defoe told Absolute Radio's Rock 'N' Roll Football. "He's a fantastic player and I think a credit to the game.
"If you talk about someone that's done everything in a game and to still want to play and still have another challenge and still want to achieve something, when you've achieved so much, I think that's a special person.
"He's someone that I look up to, a legend in the game."
Beckham has been heavily linked with a move to France, with Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco the possible destinations.
Meanwhile, Villas-Boas, not amused by Modric's calls for Bale to link up with him at the Bernabeu, has categorically said Bale is not for sale.
Modric has earlier asked his former teammate to join Real Madrid. "I know Gareth has a big dream of winning the Champions League and Madrid would be a great club for him to achieve it," he told The Sun.
However, Villas-Boas hit back at Modric for those comments, while denying a move was possible.
"I think he should focus more on his club than ours," Villas-Boas said.
"He has to worry about (Real Madrid's) game against Atletico Madrid and about getting in to the quarterfinals of the Champions League
"Obviously Modric is aware of Gareth's performances because of his love for Tottenham and the fact that he is very connected with him and this football club, but it's completely impossible (for Bale to leave the club)."