David Beckham is playing hardball.

The soccer star is suing In Touch Weekly after the tabloid ran a cover story of him that claimed he had steamy affairs with hookers.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in Los Angels Superior Court, accuses Delaware-based Bauer Publishing Company LP of libel, slander and intentional infliction of emotional distress as a result of the article, The Associated Press reported.It also names 26-year-old Irma Nici, who claimed she was a former "high class call girl" who slept with Beckham five times in 2007.

According to the In Touch article, the busty brunette said Beckham paid her $10,000 to spend one night together. Nici also said he had sex with a second prostitute.

Beckham, 35, has been married to wife and ex-Spice Girl Victoria, 36, for 11 years. They have three sons together.

Beckham's publicist, Jeff Raymond said a lawsuit is also being filed in Germany, where the gossip magazine's parent corporation is located.

In Touch has not yet commented.

While Nici has gone into hiding, The Sun reported that Beckham's lawyers plan to serve the Bosnian-born, ex-hooker a $7.9 million claim for damages. They will also demand a front-cover apology from the tabloid.

"David is prepared to scour the earth for this woman, who seems to think she could make up a complete fantasy that is extremely hurtful to him and his family," a friend told the newspaper. "She has treated his wife and children with such disregard he is not prepared to let this one go."

With News Wire Services

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Irma Nici, a 26-year-old former prostitute, claims to have carried on a steamy affair with soccer superstar David Beckham, In Touch reports. The brunette beauty tells the magazine that Beckham agreed to pay her $10,000 for one night of passion.

After an hour of foreplay, Nici says the two had sex for 15 minutes. Nici claims the sex was "nothing freaky," and she rates Beckham's lovemaking as a 7.5 out of 10.

In a worldwide exclusive interview with In Touch, Irma Nici, a former high-class call girl, claims she's slept with the world's most famous soccer star, David Beckham, five times in 2007 and spills every dirty detail of their affair. "It was a high," Irma, 26, tells In Touch. "All of these women dream of being with him, and I got to hook up with him. It was very exciting."

Irma claims that after agreeing on a price of $10,000 to stay the night, the two spent the next hour engaged in steamy foreplay. Irma says she then "whipped out" a condom and the two had sex for 15 minutes, but it was "nothing freaky," she remembers. "He was very gentle and kind." On a scale of 1 to 10, Irma rates David a 7½ as a lover. "He knew what he was doing." She also recalls that David used lotion from the hotel bathroom to pleasure himself. "It was perfumed, so it kind of burned him!"

During their initial sexual encounter, David even opened up about wife of 11 years, Victoria. Irma says that David told her he preferred Victoria's old curvier body. "He was saying that he liked her body more before," she says. David also revealed to Irma that he is "more of a butt man than a breast man."For more of In Touch's exclusive cover story about Beckham's affair, pick up the latest copy of In Touch, on newsstands now.

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