Fresh sex claims haunt Beckham’s trip to Zurich

David Beckham is facing fresh allegations about his private life from the publishers of the magazine he is suing over its claim that he slept with a Bosnian prostitute behind his wife's back.

Bauer, the German publisher of the magazine In Touch, has come up with the new allegations in its response to the $25m lawsuit filed in the US by Beckham.

The footballer argues that the claims by 26-year-old call-girl Imra Nici are pure fiction. He is confident of winning the lawsuit and has promised to put the proceeds into the Victoria and David Beckham Charitable Trust for children.

Bauer now claims that In Touch has evidence of "trysts" with other women, including an LA-based lingerie saleswoman.

A source close to Beckham told the Daily Mail that the footballer was unconcerned by the new allegations. "This is a smokescreen and it is not going to hold up in court," the source said. "This posturing, with no evidence and no facts, isn't going to stall the inevitable."

Will the subject come up when Beckham joins David Cameron and Prince William on today's visit to Switzerland?  Unlikely.

The trio are travelling to Zurich in a last-ditch effort to boost England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup ahead of Thursday's crucial Fifa vote.

The hot topic of conversation is likely to be last night's Panorama programme, Fifa's Dirty Secrets, which accused three Fifa executive members - Ricardo Teixeira, Issa Hayatou and Nicolas Leoz - of taking bribes back in the 1990s.

Organisers of the England bid are furious that the BBC chose to broadcast the documentary so close to this Thursday's decision and observers say Beckham, Cameron and Prince William will need to deploy all their charms if England is to stand a hope now of securing the 2018 event.

Beckham will also get the chance to congratulate Prince William in person on his engagement. According to reports at the weekend, David and Victoria Beckham have already been told that an invitation to the royal wedding is on its way. ·