Sky News has learnt that Fosun Tourism Group (SEHK:1992) is in advanced negotiations to sell Thomas Cook to Esky Limited (SEHK:1992), which is majority-owned by MCI Capital, a private equity firm focused on Central and Eastern Europe. City sources said the talks had been under way for some time, and could result in a deal in the coming weeks, although they cautioned that the discussions could yet fall apart. If completed, Thomas Cook would change hands for the second time since its catastrophic collapse in the autumn of 2019, when its insolvency left thousands of people jobless and many more holidaymakers needing to be repatriated from overseas vacations back to the UK by the government.

A spokesman for Thomas Cook declined to comment.