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The Italian Football League is considering a plan to radically transform the top-flight Serie A championship.

The League's council on Thursday presented to club representatives a series of proposals including one for Serie A to be expanded to two groups of 20 teams.

The top division currently has 18 clubs with Serie B containing another 20 teams.

The shake-up is seen as a possible way of boosting Italian soccer, which is suffering from acute financial problems.

"We are studying two or three hypotheses for reform of the championship that will be put in front of the League assembly and the

Federal Council of the Football Federation [FIGC]," said League president Adriano Galliani.

"We are looking to go to a vote on the new reform in the fastest time possible," added Galliani.

Any new plan will have to be backed by the majority of Serie A and Serie B clubs as well as the FIGC.

Shortly after the league meeting the FIGC said in a statement on Thursday that reform of the professional championships would be on the agenda of their next federal council meeting on February 14.

A spokesman for the League said the radical proposal for a two-group Serie A would see top-placed teams in each group play off for the title with other teams entering a 'play out' to avoid relegation.

Antonio Matarrese vicepresident of the League said the radical proposal was being evaluated closely by the clubs.

"Regarding a Serie A of two

groups, it is a line that is being evaluated. We are looking to see if it is a way in which we can reach our primary aims of a new economic policy for the clubs that would bring real new health," he said.

Matarrese also said another reform being discussed was a way to reduce the number of relegated clubs from Serie A.

At the moment four clubs are relegated each season and replaced with the top four teams from Serie B.

"In no other place are there so many relegations with eight clubs changing division each season," said Matarrese.

The moves came as a response to a proposal from the FIGC to reform Serie B by expanding it into two groups.

"There was opposition to that proposal and we affirmed that without the consent of the League there can be no changes," said Matarrese.