Another private equity group has been linked to the sale of Reed Business Information, according to the Times’ Mediapolis column.

Carlyle, whose media investments in the past have included taking a 40 per cent stake in French daily newspaper Le Figaro, is reported to be considering a bid.

Confusingly, the Mediapolis piece talks of a “pending auction” – although Reed Elsevier has yet to announce exactly by what means it plans on offloading RBI.