Germany seen warming to RHJ as Opel buyer: paper

Berlin could be willing to accept RHJ if it teamed up with an international partner from the car industry, the mass-selling daily said, without saying where it obtained the information.

Germany's Economy Ministry was not immediately available for comment.

The German government had so far favored Canadian car-parts supplier Magna over RHJ, which aims to shrink the carmaker to return it to profit.

Talks to sell Opel have dragged on for months and are a political hot potato ahead of German elections in September, because of the state support required for the eventual buyer.

GM's board of directors on Friday postponed a decision on proposals by GM's management to relinquish a controlling stake in Opel either to Magna or RHJ.

A GM source told Reuters on Monday the company was considering a third alternative that would see it inject billions into Opel to hold on to the company, though people close to the talks have said this might be a bargaining tactic.

(Reporting by Peter Dinkloh, editing by Will Waterman)