U.S. President Donald Trump said Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel would take the form of an investment instead of a purchase on Friday, even as two sources familiar with the matter said the Japanese steel company had not withdrawn its bid.

President Donald Trump has said Japan's Nippon Steel will drop its $14.9bn (£12bn) bid to acquire US Steel. Speaking alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House, Trump said Nippon would instead "invest heavily" in the company without taking a majority stake.

President Donald Trump is suggesting that Nippon Steel will no longer buy U.S. Steel as planned, but the Japanese company will instead invest in the symbolically important American business.