David Beckham is taking legal action against actor Mark Wahlberg regarding a fitness deal that Beckham asserts cost him millions in potential profits.

Beckham’s company, DB Ventures Ltd, alleges it was deceived into collaborating with the fitness brand F45, with Beckham serving as its global ambassador.

Reported by The Sun, Beckham and Wahlberg developed a friendship after Beckham’s move from Real Madrid to LA Galaxy in 2007, both residing in the same Los Angeles neighborhood.

Wahlberg became a minority shareholder in F45 in 2019, and the following year, Beckham agreed to partner with the company. He participated in several now-deleted social media posts endorsing F45 in his ambassadorial role.

However, Beckham’s company contends that he was promised shares in F45, which were supposed to be transferred in early 2022. Delays occurred, during which the share value significantly declined.

At the outset of 2022, an F45 share was valued around $11 (£8.89), soaring to over $15 (£12.13) in February before plummeting to under $4 (£3.23) mid-year.

Beckham’s legal team claims the delayed shares cost him approximately £8.5 million in potential profits.

Wahlberg’s business, the Mark Wahlberg Investment Group, and F45 founders Adam Gilchrist and Rob Deutsch are also named defendants in the lawsuit.

The defendants refute the allegations of fraudulent behaviour, urging the court to dismiss the lawsuit, asserting that Beckham’s claims lack merit.

In 2022, Beckham initially sued F45 alongside golfer Greg Norman, alleging owed sponsorship payments in cash and stock. They claimed their association inflated F45’s public valuation, but a judge instructed Beckham and Norman to pursue separate lawsuits.

F45’s stock has not recovered from the early 2022 decline, with each share currently valued at just 15c (12p).