As reported by the Wall Street Journal, a sale by Volkswagen AG and private bank Friedrich von Metzler could be announced as early as next week.

The interested parties are said to include TDR and several pension funds, including Dutch public sector fund PGGM.

Earlier this week LeasePlan Corporation announced that its 100% shareholder Global Mobility Holding BV has entered into discussions regarding the potential divestment of LeasePlan Corporation NV.

In a statement, the company said: “LeasePlan emphasises that the discussions are still in progress and may or may not result in an agreement. LeasePlan will refrain from giving further comment at this stage.”

It added: “As a financial institution with a Dutch banking license LeasePlan acts under the supervision of the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) and the Netherlands Authority for Financial Markets (AFM). Any transaction and any change of ownership of LeasePlan Corporation will be subject to regulatory and competition authorities’ approval.”