A multi-million pound takeover of Center Parcs could be announced as soon as this week, according to a weekend report.
Canadian investment giant Brookfield was said to be closing in on a buyout of the UK holiday village operator which is owned by US private equity giant Blackstone.
However, sources told the Sunday Times that Center Parcs could yet be floated on the stock market if the deal falls through.
The company has attracted a range of global bidders, including the Abu Dhabi and Singapore sovereign wealth funds, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and buyout giant CVC.
Brookfield is the co-owner of Canary Wharf in London which it bought earlier this year for £2.6 billion in partnership with Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund.
Center Parcs runs resorts in Nottinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Suffolk, Wiltshire and Cumbria and has plans for its first holiday village in Ireland.