Standard Life has been linked to a deal to takeover rival Scottish Widows.
Shareholders in Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management will today vote on the proposed merger of the two companies.
But reports have suggested this deal could open up the way for another merger with Scottish Widows.
First announced in March, the £3.8bn Standard Life takeover deal of Aberdeen would create an £11bn fund manager.
However the Sunday Times cited City sources as claiming Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Scottish Widows and has been rumoured to be seeking a buyer for the business for a while, could seek to get in on the deal, by selling off the life company to an enlarged Standard Life group.
