Trinity Mirror, Johnston Press, Newsquest and Archant talking about how they might work together on a bid for rival regional newspaper operation Northcliffe, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
Such a move would inevitably lead to Northcliffe, which owns more than 100 regional and local newspapers including the Nottingham Evening Post and Western Morning News, being broken up and parcelled off among the potential bidders.
A bid, which is expected to be in the range of between £1.2bn and £1.5bn, has come about because any one of the four bidding alone would likely face competition issues. However, it is still possible that one or more of the companies involved in the talks could decide to go it alone.
As well as the UK's regional newspaper companies, private equity firms Candover, Cinven and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts also look set to bid.
The sale comes as Northcliffe owner DMGT increases its focus on its online activities. Last week, it announced it is to buy property website Primelocation.com for £48m, and last year it bought Findaproperty.com for £13.8m.
Also in the running for Northcliffe could be Lord Clive Hollick, the former proprietor of Express Newspapers, and former Daily Mirror editor David Montgomery.
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