Paris ? Recently divorced President Nicolas Sarkozy will marry his former supermodel girlfriend next month, a French newspaper reported Sunday.

The weekly Le Journal Du Dimanche, citing unidentified sources, said Sarkozy gave Carla Bruni a heart-shaped diamond engagement ring in December and that the pair would wed on Feb. 8 or 9.

The presidential palace declined to comment on the report.

Sarkozy, who divorced his wife, Cecilia, in October, has flaunted his relationship with Bruni on recent holidays in Egypt and Jordan, drawing criticism that he is being too loose with the presidential image.

Political analyst Dominique Moisi said that a Sarkozy proposal to Bruni could be an effort to head off any future controversies, and its speed would fit with his personality as a busy man in a hurry.