Ahli United Bank , Bahrain's largest lender, said on Thursday it couldn't comment on a Reuters story linking it with a possible sale or merger deal.

"This news has not been issued from the bank's management and we do not know its source, so we cannot comment on it," the bank said in a bourse filing in Kuwait, where it is also listed.

Quoting several bankers familiar with the situation, Reuters reported on Wednesday that the bank was evaluating a sale or a merger with a rival bank in a potential $5 billion deal, a transaction which would be one of the largest-ever banking M&A deals in the Middle East. - Reuters