Guardian Media Group is considering expanding its radio business with a bid for one of Britain's largest radio groups, Capital Radio.

Guardian Media, which owns the Guardian and Observer newspapers, said yesterday it was considering tabling a bid, but no decision had been made yet.

If it mounted a successful bid it would be a major advance for the company, which is ultimately owned by an independent trust, known as the Scott Trust.

Ms Alison Halfstead of Guardian Media Group, radio section, said the company was studying various buying opportunities, not just Capital.

The company's radio division, GMG Radio Holdings, already owns five stations, including Jazz FM, which it bought last June for £44.5 million sterling (€61.5 million).

Some estimates put the cost of buying Capital Radio at up to €500 million sterling. Capital has been under financial pressure for some time, with critics accusing it of paying overly generous salaries to presenters such as Chris Tarrant.

Emap and Clear Channel are two other likely bidders.