Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Allen & Overy (A&O) and Linklaters have all landed major roles as private equity house CVC Capital Partners closes in on a deal to acquire the European business of Campbell Soup Company for a reported value of €400m (£344m).

CVC has confirmed it is in "exclusive final negotiations" to acquire Campbell Europe, which primarily covers Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden and Finland. Campbell Soup's UK business does not form part of the deal.

Campbell Europe, which is headquartered in Puurs, Belgium, employs around 1,300 people and owns a range of leading consumer brands in soups, sauces and bouillons. Its soup cans are well-known for their use in Andy Warhol's pop art of the 1960s.

An A&O Belgium team is advising Campbell Soup, led by led by corporate head Pierre-Olivier Mahieu, assisted by employment head Pieter De Koster, tax head Patrick Smet and environmental law head Gauthier van Thuyne.

Cleary is advising CVC with team comprising Brussels partners Laurent Legein and Jacques Reding, Paris partner Jean-Marie Ambrosi and London finance partner David Billington.

CVC has raised fully committed senior debt financing for the deal, with a Linklaters team led by Brussels banking and capital markets partner David Ballegeer advising the banks – Rabobank, ING and BNP Paribas Fortis.

Cleary's Billington commented: "This deal is a good example of how the market for European buyouts has continued to strengthen as the year has progressed, and the pipeline of transactions for the second half is building. While debt markets in the first half of 2013 were dominated by high yield, bank-underwritten term loan packages are returning in earnest as a welcome source of capital for the leveraged buyout market."

The news comes after CVC this May abandoned its attempted buyout of online betting exchange and sportsbook Betfair for a reported £910m. CVC was advised by Clifford Chance while Betfair was represented by Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer.