Sky News has learnt that Alpha Financial Markets Consulting (Alpha FMC) has been approached by buyout firms including Bridgepoint and Cinven in recent weeks.

New Mountain Capital, another financial investor, is also said to be interested in a potential deal.

It was unclear on Wednesday whether talks between Alpha FMC and the private equity firms were live, or whether a deal was likely to be reached.

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Alpha FMC competes with the consulting arms of the big four accountancy firms, as well as the likes of Accenture and IBM.

It has more than 900 consultants globally.

It has a market valuation of more than £380m, implying that - with a conventional takeover premium factored in - offers could value it in the region of £500m.

The company's shares have fallen by more than a quarter during the last 12 months.

A spokesman for Alpha FMC declined to comment.

Bridgepoint and Cinven also declined to comment, while New Mountain could not be reached on Wednesday morning.