David Beckham

David and Victoria Beckham have finally bought a house in Los Angeles — opting for a six-bedroom, nine-bathroom “trophy estate” in Beverly Hills for $22 million.

Thanks to the weak dollar, the home was a relative bargain at a mere £11 million.

After looking at more than 30 properties, including Meg Ryan’s former home, the couple settled on a “modest” Italian-style villa close to their Hollywood friends Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.

For David Beckham it will mean life as a serious commuter when he joins the LA Galaxy football team in July. He will face a gruelling 50-mile round-trip on the heavily congested 405 Freeway to the LA Galaxy ground in Carson City. The drive is likely to take well over an hour either way. The couple’s children — Brooklyn, 8, Romeo, 4, and Cruz, 2 — will attend a nearby school.

The house is described in the sales brochure as: “Sitting on one of Beverly Hills’ most exclusive streets, this estate has been painstakingly detailed and crafted throughout. The H-style floor plan sprawls across the one acre site, maximising city and ocean view while creating enchanting and intimate interior and exterior space.”

Photographs of the estate show a three-car garage and a pool on the front lawn. Privacy is ensured by tall hedges and huge iron gates.

Although expensive by most people’s standards — the monthly mortgage payments would be a whopping $91,666, with an interest-only loan at 6.25 per cent, after a 20 per cent down-payment — the house is considerably lower down the winding San Ysidro Drive from the A-List enclave of Beverly Park, where homes can cost up to $40 million.

According to reports, Mrs Beckham signed the contract for the house on Saturday. She and her husband will have to pay a commission of about $1.3 million, to be shared between their estate agent and that representing the seller.

A friend of the couple said: “They’ve finally found the perfect Beverly Hills property. It’s modern, airy, very light and spacious with lots of windows. It still needs a bit of work, but Victoria will be sorting that out soon.”