Samsung remains interested in buying Sharp's most advanced LCD plant om Sakai, Japan, the Nikkei reports. With takeover proposals for Japan's ailing electronics firm nearing the deadline, a move of Samsung Electronics could be a critical variable.

Nikkei reports that Samsung has made repeated offers of acquisition of a controlling stake of the Sakai LCD plant. The Sakai plant, run jointly with Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry, is the world's only tenth-generation LCD manufacturing plant and best fit for production of 60-inch or larger panels. Sharp and Foxconn each own a 38-percent stake in the operating company Sakai Display Products. Last December, Samsung offered to buy all the stake held by Sharp, according to the report.

A Sharp executive said, "The offer of Samsung to purchase our stake in the Sakai plant near Osaka has been made several times since 2013. The latest one was made in last summer. Our hope is we are willing to sell it as long as we get a good price but it's something to be decided jointly with Foxconn."

Samsung Electronics holds a market share of 27 percent in the world's TV market in the first nine months of 2015. The company mounts large-sized LCD panels over 60 inches bought from Sharp.