An eight-year union could soon come to an end, if investors follow through with a bid to buy Reebok from Adidas. According to the Wall Street Journal, the company could be sold for $2.2 billion (or 1.7 billion euro).

The interested buyers are Hong Kong-based investment firm Jynwel Capital, led by CEO Jho Low, as well as funds tied to the Abu Dhabi government. In 2006, Adidas acquired Reebok for $3.8 billion, but since then, Reebok’s share of the US footwear retail market has decreased considerably – from eight percent to less than two percent, despite efforts to reorganize Reebok as a fitness brand. As for Adidas, its share of the market fell from 10 percent to six percent over the same time period, according to the WSJ.

The bid has yet to be received by Adidas, but if it goes through, it would signal a failed attempt by the German-based Adidas Group to put pressure on Nike. In the past year, Adidas’ stock has fallen 38 percent, but reports show that since word of the potential Reebok purchase got out, the Adidas Group stock shot up five percent.

The WSJ’s report implies that if the deal goes through, the investors would keep Reebok’s top executives at the brand’s Canton, Mass. headquarters. To learn more about how Reebok fits in to Boston’s footwear industry, click here.

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