Larry Ellison, the founder and chief executive of the United States software giant Oracle, is in the running to purchase Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), in a possible £6bn deal.

AEG owns London's O2 arena, as well as 100 other entertainment and sports venues across the globe and was put up for sale last month by owner Philip Anschutz.

Bankers at Blackstone are handling the sale, with bids expected from a range of private-equity firms and sovereign wealth funds.

Ellison's net ...