Prinz considering offer from Perugia

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- German soccer star Birgit Prinz said Wednesday she was considering Perugia's offer to become the first female player in Serie A.

Prinz is a prolific striker and was one of the leaders of Germany's team that won the World Cup title in October.

Perugia president Luciano Gaucci, known for flamboyant publicity stunts, told the Italian news agency ANSA on Tuesday that he had met with Prinz to discuss a possible move and found her enthusiastic.

Prinz confirmed Wednesday that she was intrigued by the offer.

"We met one week ago. He'd like to sign me. But it was nothing more than an informative talk. Everything else will come later," Prinz said.

Prinz' agent, Andreas Rink, described it as an "interesting offer."

"We heard his proposal. He really thinks that Birgit, as No. 1 in women's soccer, could play, at least partly, in a men's team," Rink said.

"Birgit knows what she can do. But she is very skeptical about her skill and physical condition when compared to men," Rink said, adding that he planned further talks with Gaucci.

"We don't want to risk her reputation," Rink said.

Rink said the move should be seen as a marketing ploy and not as a regular transfer.

"At the end, Birgit has to decide whether it's an attractive proposition for her life," Rink said.

Prinz has a contract with the professional club FFC Frankfurt, Germany's top female team.

"The offer is a great honor for her," said the team's manager Siegfried Dietrich. "But I doubt whether it's realistic from the sporting point of view."

Gaucci told ANSA he expected to settle the details of the agreement next week.

"We met last week in Rome, and she took a few days to think about it," Gaucci was quoted as saying by ANSA. "Next week, we'll define the details of the agreement."

Previously, Gaucci was interested in signing a Swedish woman, although strikers Hanna Ljungberg and Victoria Svensson rejected his offers.

"This time, however, it should work, since I found her enthusiastic," Gaucci was quoted as saying. "I hope to have her practicing with the team before Christmas, and then in January she would be available to play."

Gaucci is known for signing players purely for publicity purposes.

Before this season, he signed Saadi Gadhafi, son of the Libyan leader.

Gadhafi, who had never before played in a league outside Libya, is currently suspended for a doping offense.

The 26-year-old Prinz helped Germany to a 2-1 extra-time victory against Sweden in the Women's World Cup final on Oct. 12. She scored a tournament-high seven goals.

She finished second to Mia Hamm in last year's voting for FIFA's World Player of the Year award and is one of three finalists for this year's prize, to be announced Monday.

Despite the fact that a female player was recently banned from playing in Italy's amateur leagues, Gaucci said he was sure there would be no problems getting Prinz to play in Serie A.

"Seeing as she's a citizen of an EU country, I repeat that there is no such regulation that would limit her from playing with men," Gaucci said.