Pearson, the UK publishing group, is rumoured to be considering a private equity takeover that could lead to the sale of some of its assets. The Financial Times, Penguin Books and French business publication Les Echos have all been tipped for disposal should a takeover occur. A sale of Penguin could fetch between £755m and £980m while the FT has been valued at around £650m. The Pearson group as a whole is worth £6.79bn.