Report says a $3 billion deal for Busch theme parks is close

After months of talks, The Blackstone Group is close to finalizing a deal to buy SeaWorld Orlando-owner Busch Entertainment Corp.

The Wall Street Journal, citing unidentified sources, reported Friday afternoon that Blackstone is nearing a deal to buy the theme-park chain from Anheuser-Busch InBev for between $2.5 billion and $3 billion. A deal could be announced as early as next week but could still fall apart, the Journal reported.

Representatives for Blackstone, AB InBev and Busch Entertainment all declined to comment.

People familiar with the talks say Blackstone has been negotiating with AB InBev for months. There has been speculation that the private-equity firm would like to package Busch Entertainment in an initial public offering of its Merlin Entertainments Group, a London-based amusement-park operator whose holdings include Madame Tussauds wax museums and Legoland theme parks.

Blackstone also owns a 50 percent stake in Universal Orlando.