Merchants Bank rejoins Wing Lung deal -report

HONG KONG, May 8 (Reuters) - China Merchants Bank (600036.SS), the country's fifth-largest bank, has rejoined the bidding for Hong Kong lender Wing Lung 0096.HK, the South China Morning Post said on Thursday.

China Merchants had earlier dropped out of the bidding. Wing Lung has said its largest shareholders -- Wu Jieh Yee Co and Wu Yee Sun Co, which own a combined 53.1 percent -- were considering their options, including a sale of the family-run bank that could lead to an offer for all the shares.

Wing Lung's market value is $4.25 billion. Some analysts have said it may fetch $4.8 billion.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (601398.SS), the world's biggest bank by market value, has been vying with Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd (ANZ) (ANZ.AX), Australia's third-biggest lender, for a controlling stake in Wing Lung.

Final bids are expected some time in the next week or two.

(Reporting by Michael Flaherty; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree)