Louisa Gouliamaki/AFP via Getty Images Greece approaches World Bank for cash More ‘financial assistance’ would push the country into further debt.

Greece's €86 billion bailout package could soon become even more complicated, after the country's government decided to seek "financial assistance" from the World Bank.

A Greek government spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO on Friday that Athens has expressed interest in “receiving a loan of €3 billion for financing active employment policies and programs.”

If accepted, the Greek request would push the country further into debt at a time when the government continues to battle over the terms and conditions of its latest bailout package. Negotiations resumed this week in Athens between the government and its eurozone creditors, the European Commission, International Monetary Fund, and European Stability Mechanism.

A long-running disagreement between the Europeans and the IMF on debt relief and austerity have raised the possibility that the Washington-based financial organization may walk away from the current bailout program. But multiple sources have dismissed any notion that the World Bank could replace the IMF — a key player in the Greek debt crisis since 2010.

A failure to complete the so-called "second review" of the existing package could prompt European creditors to withhold additional rescue funds from the Greek government, which faces major debt repayment deadlines in the coming months. A Greek default in turn could reignite the debate about whether the country should be kicked out of the eurozone.

The Greek overtures to the World Bank caught officials in Brussels and Berlin by surprise, while leaving analysts scratching their heads over the country’s decision.

Greece's current creditors "are not too happy about" the fresh request for funds, an EU official said Thursday. In Germany — Greece’s biggest creditor — the news of Greece’s loan request could become “an issue” in the ongoing bailout negotiations, though “we’ll have to wait and see,” a Bundestag source said.

Nonetheless, Greece's heavily indebted government has decided to ask for more loans, this time from the World Bank, another Washington-based organization which specializes in providing funds to impoverished countries and emerging economies.

"The government of Greece has asked the World Bank to provide technical and financial assistance to address pressing challenges including: long-term unemployment, economic competitiveness and growth and social protection," a spokesperson from the World Bank said. "In accordance with World Bank procedures, any final decision on providing loans would be subject to approval by the bank's board of executive directors."

The World Bank declined to confirm how much money Greece requested.

Regardless of the eventual outcome, some analysts believe Greece’s decision may ultimately come back to haunt the country.

“If Greece is indeed considering to apply for a World Bank loan, it would primarily be a sign of desperation,” said Claus Vistesen, Pantheon Macroeconomics’ chief eurozone economist. “There is the rather embarrassing stigma of going to the World Bank as a notional ‘developed’ economy. I am not sure that it would help Greece to gain market access with its bonds any more quickly.”

This item has been updated to include comment from Greece and the amount of its loan request.