Czech businessman Daniel Kretinsky is considering options to persuade creditors to accept his takeover offer for Atos, a source close to the matter said, as the company is due to vote on a debt restructuring plan by May 31.

Among the options being considered, the source said, would be to give creditors access to the capital of the entity combining Atos's historical outsourcing activities.

This would give creditors economic exposure to the entity in question.

Daniel Kretinsky's investment vehicle EP Equity Investment (EPEI), in partnership with UK fund Attestor, has so far proposed to write off more than 90% of Atos' €4.8 billion financial debt and sell off a large part of the company, the proceeds of which would be partly distributed to creditors.

The two partners would inject 600 million euros in cash as part of this plan, in exchange for virtually all Atos ownership, according to a document detailing the initial offer and published on the Atos website two weeks ago.

Spokespeople for Daniel Kretinsky, Atos and OnePoint, the group's largest shareholder, declined to comment.

In addition to Daniel Kretinsky's offer, Atos announced in early May that it had accepted two other proposals as part of its financial restructuring procedure, from a group of bondholders and banks and from OnePoint, a company controlled by David Layani.

In their offer, the bondholders and banks say they are in favor of the arrival of a "reference investor", on condition that it refrains from selling assets, a position aligned with that of David Layani.

The Kretinsky-Attestor camp, for its part, has expressed deep concern that Atos' business situation is worse than expected, and believes that significant debt reduction is necessary to safeguard the company.

Once a French technology flagship listed on the CAC 40 and headed by the current European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, Atos has grown through acquisitions, but has made one strategic mistake after another against a backdrop of unstable governance.

A court-appointed administrator has been called in to help raise fresh capital and restructure the group's debt.

(Mathieu Rosemain reports, Kate Entringer edits by Blandine Hénault)