What the Sunday papers said

Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries and Greene King are among those looking to buy sites from Whitbread's Beefeater and Brewer's Fayre chains, which were put up for sale last week. Sources close to investment bankers Morgan Stanley, which is advising Whitbread on the £400m sale, say the City firm been deluged with calls from potential bidders. - Sunday Express​

Last week's announcement by Whitbread that it was looking to offload around 250 pub-restaurant outlets, while doubling the size of its Costa Coffee chain, should go some way to easing the pressure on the group's board. Whitbread's management has for some months been dogged by rumours of a bid for the company. If takeover talk does indeed fade, some City analysts expect the group's share price to dip, since its recent rise - to levels not seen for more than eight years - has been supported by bid speculation. - Sunday Times​

Bid speculation surrounding Greene King last week was fuelled by rumours concerning interest from property tycoon Robert Tchenguiz. The Suffolk brewer's share price shot up, but neither it nor Mr Tchenguiz's R20 investment group made an announcement to City watchdogs. R20, which is currently putting together a bid for Mitchells & Butlers, would add another 2,000 managed pubs to its burgeoning Laurel portfolio if it made a move for Greene King and won. - The Business​

JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin lashed out this weekend at the strategy of City financiers - including tycoon Robert Tchenguiz - who buy thousands of pubs, load them with debt and pocket the value in dividends, leaving little room for investing in the core business. "In a sensible economy, rather the banks being prepared to lend him billions, they'd say 'Sorry, I'm not going to lend you any'." Mr Tchenguiz's R20 investment group has until May 8 to launch a formal bid for Mitchells & Butlers. - Observer​

Last week's Premier League announcement that it had awarded half of the six packages of broadcast rights to BSkyB after a single round of bidding has left a nasty taste in the mouths of the satellite's broadcaster rivals. Other broadcasters, who include NTL, Setanta and Channel 4, believe the Premier League has conducted the sealed auction process in such a way that it has maximised Sky's chances of retaining its position as the home of top flight football on the UK's TV screens. - Sunday Telegraph​