The move leaves wide open the race for the asset, potentially Europe's biggest private equity transaction since 2007, ahead of a Feb. 27 meeting of Thyssenkrupp's supervisory board where a final decision could be made.

Two consortia are battling it out: Blackstone, Carlyle and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board on one side and Advent and Cinven [CINV.UL], supported by the Adbu Dhabi Investment Authority and Germany's RAG foundation, on the other.

(Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff; Writing by Christoph Steitz; Editing by Kim Coghill)