The report forced GMG to issue a statement saying that although its preferred option was to float Trader Media on the stockmarket it had invited "a small number of parties to clarify the precise nature, structure and value of their proposals".
GMG restated that it planned to retain a majority stake in Trader Media, which is valued at around £1.3bn and owns almost 70 titles in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands and Italy.
In its financial year to April 2006, Trader Media made an operating profit of £119.5m while GMG's national newspaper division lost £19.3m.
GMG's plans to float a minority stake in Trader Media first emerged in May last year. At the time it expected to conclude the process by April 2007 but today a spokesman said the timetable is now calendar year 2007.
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