Reports in the Independent on Sunday suggest that US cable tycoon John Malone's Liberty Media may have held 'secret talks' with troubled UK operator ntl.

The paper, citing 'city sources', said that the talks were aimed at the company taking a stake in ntl of anywhere between 25 and 51 percent. Last month, it was reported that ntl was holding talks with Liberty, along with AOL Time Warner and Microsoft.

Liberty Media alredy owns a 25% stake in Britain's second-largest cable operator Telewest; and some news services are speculating that the two cable operators may be forced to merge if the financial climate does not improve shortly. Such speculation has however been around for years, and other analysts say Telewest would not be willing to take on ntl's massive debt load.

More news on this is expected next week; stay with Digital Spy for the latest.