He also tried to buy TAP in a previous attempted sale in 2012.

Its first attempted sale was blocked last year as the-then buyers were judged not to have met the regulator's five strict conditions.

AIG's first attempted sale was blocked last year as the-then buyers were judged not to have met the regulator's five strict conditions.

The deal was given conditional approval in June, marking the end of an almost two-year long saga that had seen one attempted sale rejected.

British newspaper publisher Daily Mail & General Trust is keeping its regional newspaper business after an attempted sale did not attract high enough offers.