Airbus is considering taking a minority stake in Evidian, the digital and cybersecurity arm of Atos , which the IT services group is going to spin off, reports the daily Les Echos in its Monday edition, citing sources familiar with the matter.

In an e-mailed statement, Airbus said it was not commenting on the rumors, adding that it was "in constant discussion with our partners, customers and suppliers, but these conversations remain of a private nature".

Contacted by Reuters, Atos said that, in connection with the implementation of its strategic plan, it was engaged in "exploratory discussions with potential future minority shareholders of the business grouped under the Evidian name".

However, the group added that "these discussions are not sufficiently advanced to allow any further comment".

In September, Atos rejected an offer from the Onepoint group to buy Evidian for an enterprise value of 4.2 billion euros.

In July, Atos announced plans to separate and combine its Big Data and Security (BDS) activities with its services operations, within a new entity called Evidian. (Written by Kate Entringer, edited by Blandine Hénault)