The third time could indeed be the charm with regard to Bayer’s pursuit of Monsanto with the Missouri-based seed company’s board reportedly meeting this week to discuss the $65 billion takeover bid that would create the world’s largest seed company.

Reuters, citing sources close to the matter, reports that Monsanto’s board is close to accepting the bid, but at a slightly higher valuation than the $127.50/share option currently on the table.

Still, the final agreement is expected to be less than the $130/share figure Monsanto had been holding out for.

Sources, which caution that a deal could still fall apart, say that Bayer was able to obtain more financial information about Monsanto after it made the $65 billion bid last week.

That information assisted the company in making more detailed negotiations.

“Given recent updates on the Monsanto approach suggest a final conclusion may be close, we suspect (Bayer) will work hard to try and reach a final conclusion before” next week, analysts tell Reuters.

The current offer on the table represents a 2% increase over Bayer’s previous bid of $125 per share shot down by Monsanto in July.

It’s also about 4.5% higher than Bayer’s initial offer in May of $122 per share, which Monsanto deemed “financially inadequate.”

Exclusive: Monsanto board close to giving nod to Bayer deal on Tuesday – sources [Reuters]

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