(Reuters) -Liberty Global ( LBTYA ) has approached Britain's Vodafone ( VOD ) for a possible acquisition of its stake in their Dutch joint venture VodafoneZiggo, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Vodafone ( VOD ) declined to comment, while Liberty Global ( LBTYA ) did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.

Liberty Global ( LBTYA ) has expressed interest in a deal and held on-and-off talks with Vodafone ( VOD ) in recent months, the report said, adding that any transaction may value Vodafone's ( VOD ) stake at more than 2 billion euros ($2.18 billion).

VodafoneZiggo, the 50:50 joint venture created in 2016, provides fixed, mobile, and integrated communication and entertainment services across the Netherlands. 

Liberty Global ( LBTYA ) is the third largest shareholder in Vodafone ( VOD ) after the UAE's Emirates Investment Authority and American investment group BlackRock.

Liberty Global ( LBTYA ) CEO Mike Fries stated at a conference last year that while the VodafoneZiggo joint venture performed well, seven years was a long duration for such a partnership, prompting the need to evaluate its future direction.

($1 = 0.9168 euros)