June 21 (Bloomberg) -- SAP AG is in preliminary talks about an acquisition of as much as 1.5 billion euros ($2.1 billion), Welt am Sonntag reported, citing an unidentified SAP manager.

The purchase, which may be valued between 1.2 billion and 1.5 billion euros, is part of Chief Executive Officer Leo Apotheker’s new expansion strategy, the newspaper said. SAP has made 5 billion euros available for purchases, Welt reported.

Guenter Gaugler, a spokesman for Walldorf, Germany-based SAP, declined to comment on the report.

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Reiter in Berlin at creiter2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 21, 2009 08:10 EDT