SEOUL, Dec 16 (Reuters) - A private equity arm of Macquarie Group Ltd MQG.AX is likely to sign a deal to buy Daesung Industrial Gases Co Ltd from Asian private equity firm MBK Partners later this week, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Monday.
Macquarie PE has agreed to purchase all of South Korea's Daesung DSINDS.UL for 2.5 trillion won ($2.12 billion) or more, the Korea Economic Daily reported earlier on Monday, citing unidentified investment banking sources.
Daesung is South Korea's biggest industrial gas supplier by revenue, reporting 566.6 billion won in consolidated sales and 93.8 billion won in consolidated operating profit in 2018, up 5% and 27% respectively from the previous year.
It counts among its clients semiconductor and display firms such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd 005930.KS , SK Hynix Inc 000660.KS and LG Display Co Ltd 034220.KS , another person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
MBK Partners bought Daesung from Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS) GS.N and other shareholders in 2017 for what South Korean media said was about $2 billion.
MBK Partners and a Daesung spokesman declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. Macquarie did not have an immediate response. ($1 = 1,179.3300 won)