A number one personal fairness investor is among the many suitors circling Nicotinell, the anti-smoking help which has been earmarked on the market by its FTSE-100 proprietor.

Sky News has learnt that Inflexion, which has backed firms similar to Goals Soccer Centres and Mountain Warehouse, is on a listing of bidders in talks with Haleon about shopping for the model.

City sources mentioned this weekend that bidders have been hoping to pay considerably lower than an $800m price ticket mooted in a report in regards to the potential sale final month.

The disposal of Nicotinell would come as smoking cessation merchandise expertise blended fortunes.

Haleon, which was spun out of GlaxoSmithKline, the prescription drugs large, final yr, owns a number of the world’s main client healthcare merchandise.

Its chief government, Brian McNamara, needs to promote non-core manufacturers with a purpose to drive a extra targeted portfolio and pay down debt.

Nicotinell, which is offered in patch, gum and lozenge kind, is claimed to be the second-largest nicotine alternative remedy product globally.

It was unclear this weekend whether or not a carve-out of Nicotinell from its listed guardian firm could be complicated.

Inflexion is known to be vying with different buyout companies and strategic bidders for the model.

Inflexion declined to remark.