U.S. group prepares Vodafone unit offer

NEW YORK, March 16 (UPI) -- A U.S. buyer has emerged to bid on Vodafone Group PLC's Japanese mobile unit, an asset worth an estimated $15 billion.

Late Wednesday two U.S. equity groups, Cerberus Partners LP and Providence Equity Partners Inc., worked to prepare a leveraged buyout bid, The Wall Street Journal said Thursday.

Vodafone is already in talks to sell the Japanese unit to Softbank Corp., one of Japan's largest Internet providers.