Citigroup seeks to sell Japan call center: report

(Reuters) - Citigroup Inc has put up for sale a Japanese call center valued at $2 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the deal.

Citigroup, which said on Monday it would buy the banking operations of Wachovia Corp, has also appointed bankers to oversee an initial public offering of part of Nikko Asset Management Co, its majority-owned Japanese fund management business, the paper said.

The Tokyo-based call center, Bellsystem24 Inc, is expected to fetch about $2 billion, the Journal said.

Goldman Sachs and Nikko Citigroup, Citi's Japanese investment banking arm, have been asked to handle the sale of the call center, it said.

Citi said it would raise $10 billion in common equity and slash its dividend to help finance the Wachovia purchase.

(Reporting by Mike Miller; Editing by Anil D'Silva)