Swedish operator group TeliaSonera has hired bankers to work on a sale of its Spanish unit, Yoigo, according to sources at Reuters – with Carlos Slim’s America Movil, and existing Spanish rivals Vodafone and France Telecom named as potential bidders.

TeliaSonera has reportedly hired Deutsche Bank to manage the disposal of its 76 percent stake in Yoigo, which is valued at over EUR1 billion, as part of a strategy to refocus its efforts in the Nordics and Asia.

Carlos Slim told Reuters last week that he had no immediate plans for further purchases in Europe following America Movil’s recent investments in both Dutch operator KPN and Telekom Austria. Deutsche Bank was Slim’s advisor on both deals.

"I think Slim will take a look [at Yoigo]; he is opportunistic,” said one source. “What he does or does not do will depend on price.”

Meanwhile, Vodafone and France Telecom were both named as “natural bidders for Yoigo,” enabling them to strengthen their challenge to Spanish market-leader Telefonica.

According to Wireless Intelligence, Telefonica holds 38 percent of the Spanish mobile market, followed by Vodafone (32 percent) and France Telecom’s Orange (24 percent). Yoigo, the fourth-placed player, has about 3.3 million subscribers, giving it a 6 percent market share.

"Vodafone and France Telecom would be conceptually interested and both have the capacity to do a relatively modest acquisition," Guy Peddy, an analyst at Macquarie Securities Group, told Reuters.