Leaving Chelsea Will Not Be Easy for John Terry, Says David Beckham

David Beckham believes John Terry will not risk sacrificing the iconic status he enjoys at Chelsea by swapping Stamford Bridge for Manchester City and admits he still suffers pangs of regret that he was compelled to leave his own spiritual home, Manchester United, some six years ago.

Terry arrived in Seattle last night as a member of Chelsea's 26-man squad for their four-match pre-season tour of the United States with City still convinced they have a realistic chance of prising the England captain from west London before the new campaign.

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will offer him improved terms to remain at the club. But, while Terry might be tempted by a potentially lucrative five-year deal at Eastlands – which would virtually double his £135,000-a-week salary – Beckham is convinced his international team-mate will reaffirm his commitment to Chelsea. "There's going to be interest [from City] because the money's there and the investors are there, and they'll want great players and great talent in the team," said the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder. "But I don't think JT will move because he's Chelsea through and through.

"Chelsea won't want to lose him either. A player's happiness is the biggest thing. If you've got passion to play for the club you're at and if you're at the club you always wanted to be at, then that goes beyond any money. JT's like that. He's passionate about football, not passionate about money. He'll decide what's best for his football career. It won't be about money for him. At the end of the day he's England captain and you don't become England captain by being greedy. You become captain because you're passionate about the game."

Beckham, who left Manchester United for Real Madrid, admitted he could never have contemplated playing for a rival Premier League club. "At the time I didn't even want to leave United. It wasn't in my hands in the end and there was nothing I could have done about it but I've always said I'd always wanted to stay at United for my whole career. I missed it when I left. I couldn't even bear to watch United on the television for the first three years after leaving just because it hurt me a lot. It hurt me to see United and not to be involved. I'll always support them. I still did even over those three years – I still supported United and still wanted them to do well. It's a tough situation."