Anheuser-Busch hires financial advisers

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Anheuser-Busch hired Goldman Sachs Group and Citigroup as financial advisers as it braces for a potential takeover bid from Belgian brewing company InBev, sources familiar with the situation said on Monday.

InBev, the world's second-biggest brewer, has not yet decided whether to proceed with a bid for Anheuser-Busch, sources said. A merger of the two brewers has been rumoured for the last 18 months.

Anheuser-Busch, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs all declined to comment. InBev could not be reached immediately for comment.

Anheuser-Busch is "doing all the normal things you do when you feel like you're under attack. You circle the wagons and stockpile food and ammunition," said one source, who declined to be named.

Even if Anheuser-Busch fails to get an offer from InBev, its financial advisers will help explore various strategic options, sources said.

According to media reports, InBev has been trying to arrange a $50 billion (25 billion pound) funding package from a group of banks, including JP Morgan Chase and Banco Santander.

It still is premature to speculate about funding details since InBev has yet to decide on a bid for Anheuser-Busch, one source cautioned.

Yet, given the tight credit markets and the difficulty in raising funding for deals, InBev would need the assurance of financing before it could press ahead with a formal offer, other sources said.

InBev, the brewer of Stella Artois, Beck's and Brahma, is eager to reclaim the title of the world's biggest brewer that it lost to SABMiller earlier this year and drive consolidation in the global brewing industry.