Turkey Wealth Fund Management Company is considering acquiring a majority stake in the country's second-biggest telephone company, in a potential deal that would make it the largest shareholder in two of the top telecom operators, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Creditors seized a 55% stake in Türk Telekomünikasyon Anonim Sirketi (IBSE:TTKOM) - TÜRK TELEKOMÜNIKASYON A.S.  almost three years ago after its previous owner defaulted on a multi-billion-dollar loan. The sovereign fund, known by its Turkish initials TVF, has approached the lenders about acquiring the holding, said the people, who asked not to be named because the matter isn't public.  The two sides differ over the price and the fund has yet to make a formal offer, they said.

The group of mainly local banks previously hired Morgan Stanley to advise on finding a strategic buyer. A deal would mark the biggest step yet in the creeping re-nationalization of Turkey's telecommunications industry after the wealth fund last year took a majority stake in the country's biggest mobile phone operator, Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS.