Blackburn’s EG Group co-founder Zuber Issa is in talks to sell his stake in supermarket giant Asda, according to reports.

Mr Issa, 51, is said to be in negotiations with TDR Capital over a deal that would tighten the private equity firm’s control over the business.

He and his brother, Mohsin, 52, formed a partnership with TDR in the £6.8bn acquisition of Asda in 2021 from American retail group Walmart.

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It is reported the deal is for a 22.5 per cent stake, reportedly worth £500m, which would give TDR majority control, and it could be announced in the coming weeks.

This would see TDR’s holding in Asda rise to about two-thirds.

The Issa brothers teamed up with TDR to buy Asda three years ago.

One report said if the deal went through, it could further dismantle the relationship between the brothers.

In March, Mohsin Issa denied there was a rift between the billionaire brothers and said the pair “get on exceptionally well.”

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In an interview with the BBC at the opening of Asda’s 1000th store in Hertfordshire, he said: “We talk to each other probably two or three times a day.

“We’ve been very, very privileged. We have been on a journey and we have got a long way still to go.”

Mohsin Issa is in charge of Asda, while Zuber runs the Blackburn-based EG Group empire, which includes around 6,000 convenience stores and petrol stations across 10 different countries.

Mohsin Issa also recently said he was carrying out a “reset” at the supermarket before appointing a chief executive to take over its day-to-day management.

The brothers were listed 40th in the Sunday Times’ Rich List last year, with a net worth of £5.05bn.