Scoot.com, the troubled online directory business, is in talks to sell Loot, the classified advertising business it bought nine months ago for £177m. Trader.com, a French rival is understood to have approached Merrill Lynch, Scoot's adviser, with a bid for the newspaper and website. Scoot will sell off parts of the business to raise cash if it does not receive offers higher than Vivendi's up to 15p-a-share bid. There has been interest in Loot, worth £100m.