(Reuters) – Unilever Plc has held talks with banks about additional financing for a potential sweetened offer for GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s consumer products division, Bloomberg reported https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-16/unilever-is-said-to-weigh-raising-offer-for-glaxo-consumer-unit?sref=WJKVI5nK on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Unilever and GSK did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

The news came a day after GSK said it had rejected a 50-billion-pound ($68.37 billion) offer from Unilever for the consumer goods arm. GSK said it had received three bids from Unilever, the latest on Dec. 20.

Unilever could eventually sell some non-core assets from the GSK portfolio to buyers including private equity firms, which could help fund an acquisition, the Bloomberg report added.

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(Reporting by Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)