(Telecompaper) Sprint is nearing an agreement on an acquisition of T-Mobile US valuing the Deutsche Telekom subsidiary at almost USD 40 a share, people with knowledge of the matter told Bloomberg. Sprint will offer 50 percent stock and 50 percent cash for T-Mobile, leaving Deutsche Telekom with around 15 percent of the combined company, the report said. At just under USD 40 a share, T-Mobile's equity value would be about USD 31 billion. In addition, the operator has about USD 14.5 billion in debt and USD 5.5 billion in cash. Deutsche Telekom, which owns about 67 percent of T-Mobile, was seeking at least USD 40 a share, two of the people said. SoftBank, the majority owner of Sprint is willing to pay in the upper USD 30s, and the two sides have bridged the gap, according to the report. A deal could be announced as soon as July, although many details, including the management of the new company, are still to be worked out.