Liberty Global is reportedly considering a stake sale of its Swiss unit, Sunrise Telecom, according to Reuters.

The company is exploring the sale ahead of a planned spin-off later this year.

Sources told Reuters that several talks have taken place with prospective buyers.

Earlier this year, Liberty Global announced that it would spin off Sunrise to shareholders on the SIX Swiss exchange later this year.

The company said the move would "allow shareholders to fully participate in the future growth and upside of both Sunrise and Liberty Global."

A deal could value Sunrise at around $8.91 billion.

The telco, which is the second-largest in Switzerland, was taken off the stock market by Liberty Global back in 2020.

At the end of the first quarter, Sunrise reported net debt at $5.99bn.