There is strong speculation that the Dublin national weekly Ireland on Sunday is about to be sold to Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday.
Although neither Scottish Radio Holdings, owner of the Irish paper, nor Associated Newspapers would comment, it is believed that discussions are taking place and a sale is said to be imminent, according to sources close to SRH in Dublin
Ireland on Sunday was bought by SRH last year for around Ir£7.5m after its relaunch as a tabloid the previous year. It began life in 1997 as a sports tabloid called The Title.
The paper is said to be losing sales in the fiercely competitive Irish Sunday market and its circulation now stands at around 57,000. It could fetch Ir£10m if a deal with SRH is struck.
There is speculation that Associated Newspapers would merge it with The Mail on Sunday to create what has been described as a "hybrid Irish version" of the paper.
By Des Cryan in Dublin
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