BT Group PLC (LSE:BT.A) shares perked up on Monday amid reports that French billionaire Patrick Drahi wants to up his shareholding in the former UK monopoly.
Drahi, who owns France's Altice, currently owns a 12.1% stake in BT, which he bought this summer, making him the FTSE 100 company's largest shareholder above Deutsche Telekom, which owns 12.06%.
Drahi is interested in buying some or all of the German company's shares, Reuters reported on Monday, citing a trio of sources.
Deutsche Telekom boss Tim Hoettges said at the end of last week that he is keeping "all options open" regarding the BT stake and has said before that it will be reviewed.
Drahi will be able to snap up BT shares from 11 December, but is currently prevented from doing so under London Stock Exchange rules after confirming when his stake was revealed in June that he was not making a bid for the UK telecoms giant.