SAP nears deal to buy Sybase for about $6 bln-report

NEW YORK May 12 (Reuters) - SAP AG (SAPG.DE) is close to acquiring Sybase Inc SY.N for $6 billion, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, in a deal that would give SAP a database that it could sell to its customers alongside its top-selling line of business management software.

Shares of Sybase were up about 40 percent to $58.20 per share on the New York Stock Exchange after the report, which cited two people with knowledge of the matter.

The report said the deal could be announced as early as on Wednesday.

Sybase declined to comment. SAP was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Paul Thomasch; editing by Carol Bishopric)