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.”

According to Sky News: "A consortium of state-backed, pension and private equity funds is in talks to snap up the world's biggest vehicle-leasing business from Volkswagen in a deal worth an estimated £2bn." 

It added that the cons‎ortium is being led by PGGM, a Dutch public sector pension fund.