Virgin Media O2 has placed an initial £3 billion offer for telco rival TalkTalk.
The broadband and mobile company, jointly owned by Liberty Global and Telefonica, is one of a number of companies that have taken an interest in the company including Vodafone and Comcast-owned Sky.
Sky News, which first reported the story, said discussions between the two were at an early stage and were on a non-exclusive basis.
TalkTalk delisted from the stockmarket in 2020 after a sale to Toscafund
News of the Virgin Media offer is likely to put pressure on Vodafone to launch a counterbid. The UK telco is currently benefiting from being the anchor provider on the Cityfibre network,
In addition to its broadband offer, TalkTalk also provides a TV service, through both the YouView and Netgem platforms.