British publisher Pearson has decided to sell the Financial Times to a "global, digital news company" after owning the business newspaper for nearly 60 years, a person familiar with the deal said on Thursday, Reuters reported. Pearson, which has become the world's leading education provider, later confirmed that it was in advanced discussions regarding a potential disposal of FT group, which includes the pink-paged paper, its website and its share in the Economist, but declined to provide further details. Analysts and investors have long expected the 171-year-old Pearson to sell the FT at some point, after it changed strategy to focus on education. Recent media reports have suggested potential buyers could include Bloomberg, German newspaper publisher Axel Springer and Thomson Reuters. A separate person familiar with the situation had told Reuters that Springer was working on a deal for the paper. Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg declined to comment while Springer did not return calls. Shares in Pearson were up 2.2 percent in mid-morning trading. The group is due to report results on Friday but could confirm the buyer later on Thursday.