Praxair 'held' merger talks with Linde

Praxair Inc and Germany's Linde AG have held merger talks to create what would be the world's largest supplier of industrial gases, according to people familiar with the matter.

The deal could be valued at more than $30 billion if it's structured as an acquisition. The two companies have discussed a possible combination, though the status of the talks isn't clear, one of the people said, asking not to be identified as the negotiations are private.

Praxair, which supplies gases such as oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, has a market value of $33.7 billion. Linde, a gases and engineering company, was valued at 25.9 billion euros ($29 billion).