FORMER EMI chief executive Jim Fifield yesterday kept alive speculation he might gatecrash an agreed £2.4bn takeover of the music company.

Mr Fifield said he remained interested in a potential offer, even though his private equity partner Corvus Capital said on Wednesday that it had walked away from a possible deal.

At the start of this week, EMI backed an offer tabled by financier Guy Hands' private equity outfit, Terra Firma.

Analysts expect that EMI, which boasts stars including Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue, could still be the subject of a bid battle.