Takeovers by private equity firms of public companies in Europe are accounting for a bigger proportion of overall buyouts in the region than at any time since the height of the 2007 boom, according to figures released just as one of the biggest deals of the year took a step closer to completion.

The total value of announced European take-privates by buyout firms has reached $9.4bn (€7.2bn) so far this year, or 26% of all buyouts in the region, according to data provider Dealogic.