According to a report in The Observer this weekend, the profit figures have been shown by investment bank Lazards, which is handling the sale, to potential bidders.
The report said this could push the going price for the Telegraph Group up to over £700m, even though some bidders have already quit the race, including Express Newspapers proprietor Richard Desmond and USA Today publisher Gannett, because the price is deemed too high.
Still in the running for the titles are: the Barclay brothers, understood to have offered £670m; DMGT, reportedly offering around £700m; and private equity groups. German media group Axel Springer is also in the running, with a bid prompting a racist outburst last week from Desmond, accusing the company of being Nazis.
Hollinger International is selling the titles after a crisis at the company over payments to executives, including former chief executive Lord Black. A third round of bids for the titles is set to end on May 10.
If you have an opinion on this or any other issue raised on Brand Republic, join the debate in the .
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
