Sir Anthony is executive chairman of Independent News & Media, publisher of the Independent titles in Ireland and the UK, and is thought to be leading rivals that include Archant, which publishes the Eastern Daily Press, and venture capital firm Candover, according to reports.
The sale of the Herald newspapers, which includes the Herald, Sunday Herald and Glasgow's Evening Times, has excited a lot of interest from venture capitalists and newspaper groups.
Bids are reported to be in the region of £180m to £200m. SMG is hoping that it will be able to secure a price at the upper end of the bid range for the Glasgow-based titles, as it seeks to clear debts of more than £400m.
It is thought that Independent News & Media edged out bids from local newspaper publisher Johnston Press and the Barclay brothers, who own the rival Scotsman group. SMG is set to announce a shortlist of three bids later today, according to Scottish financial newspaper Business AM.
A bid led by David Montgomery, former chief executive of the Mirror Group, fell through last month and bids by Daily Mail & General Trust, the owner of the Daily Mail, and Gannet, publisher of USA Today, were thought to be in danger of being referred to the Competition Commission.
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