manroland Could Be Close to Getting New Ownership

FRANKFURT, GERMANY—A European investor with ties to machine engineering is reportedly negotiating with the primary shareholder of press manufacturer manroland to acquire the firm. Citing two sources, Reuters said the unnamed investor has been in talks with Allianz Capital Partners, which is manroland's majority shareholder.

Truck maker MAN holds a 23 percent share in the press manufacturer. A spokesman for MAN told Reuters that Allianz and manroland had been in discussions about the company's future. Reuters quoted another source as saying the investor needed some assistance from Allianz to complete the deal, either in the form of loans or to remain as a minority stakeholder.

Citing a source, Reuters said a decision on the future of the company could be made within the next two to three weeks.