Düsseldorf (Reuters) - According to an insider, Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky and his holding company EPH are setting their sights on Thyssenkrupp's steel subsidiary.

Kretinsky and EPH are interested in acquiring a stake in Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe, a person familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency on Friday. Thyssenkrupp, Kretinsky and EPH declined to comment. "Der Spiegel" had first reported on the matter.

According to insiders, the Thyssenkrupp Supervisory Board wanted to discuss the future of the steel division and other issues on Friday. Thyssenkrupp is currently exploring various options for the division, including a sale. Among the interested parties are the financial investor CVC, Jindal from India, the Brazilian competitor CSN and Emirates Steel Arkan from Abu Dhabi.

(Report by Christoph Steitz, Tom Käckenhoff, edited by Myria Mildenberger. If you have any queries, please contact our editorial team at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and the economy) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)