The owners of Asda are said to be planning an £8bn takeover of the Subway sandwich chain.
The Blackburn-based billionaire Issa brothers are believed to be considering a bid for the fast-food chain despite being under pressure to cut the existing heavy debt burden on their petrol stations empire.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa already have a relationship with the brand as there are Subway stores in the filling stations they own through EG Group. EG Group, which has 340 petrol stations in the UK, also owns the Leon fast-food chain and previously has looked at buying Caffè Nero and Boots.
Moody’s has warned that EG Group faces a credit rating downgrade if it fails to cut its £7bn debt by the end of June.
