Libya is considering buying the majority stake in Italian club Lazio, which has been put up for sale by current owners Cirio.

A statement received by Italian press agency Ansa from Al-Saadi Gaddafi, the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, confirmed that the "Libyan authority is evaluating a bid to buy the majority share" in the Serie A outfit.

Cirio, who are in grave difficulty having lost 83.9m euros in the last nine months, announced on Wednesday their intention to sell their 35% ownership of Lazio.

The club itself is in financial trouble after being subject to legal action from Manchester United, who are owed �12m following Lazio's purchase of Dutch defender Jaap Stam in August 2001.

Earlier this month, Gaddafi, who plays for Libya and is one of his country's soccer officials, signed a cooperation deal between the Libyan soccer authorities and Lazio.

The deal, reported to be worth $600,000 to the Italian club, would allow Tripoli-based club Al-Ittihad, who Al-Saadi plays for, to use Lazio's training ground for 10 days a year.

Gaddafi is also a member of the board of Juventus, after the Libyan Arab Foreign Investment Company (Lafico) bought a 7.5% share in the Italian champions.