Providence Equity Partners is holding preliminary talks with Hasbro, one of the world’s largest toymakers, to take the firm private, WSJ.com reported, citing people familiar with the matter. If completed, it would be the largest leveraged buyout of the year.

Sources cautioned the talks are in the early stages and may not culminate in a deal. Hasbro, an S&P 500 company, has a market cap of about $6 billion and owns such brands as G.I. Joe, Transformers and Nerfs.