Andersen Legal is this week facing the near certainty that its big five parent will be broken-up, as the firm confirmed that Andersen’s US accounting arm is attempting to negotiate a takeover by one of its main rivals.

As Legal Week went to press, the US arm of Andersen was in takeover talks with both Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Ernst & Young, amid mounting expectation that Andersen’s US and European arms will be split within weeks.