Amazon, the online retail giant, is also understood to have held two sets of early stage discussions with Deliveroo with a view to an acquisition, including one within the last year, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The first round took place two years ago, before Amazon launched its own restaurant delivery venture, while the second happened about nine months ago. The approaches were exploratory and have not progressed.

A Deliveroo spokesman said the company did not comment on speculation. Amazon declined to comment.

Deliveroo executives are also understood to have postponed plans for an Initial Public Offering (IPO) from 2019 to 2020 as they consider raising new funds ahead of a float.

However, investors and other sources said Deliveroo intended to remain independent with a view to going public in two years' time.

Any deal would see Deliveroo holding out for a valuation of more than $4bn, two investors said.

Amazon has its own food delivery company, Amazon RestaurantsCredit:
AP

The news comes as it emerged Uber had initiated talks to make a bid for Deliveroo. A source close to Deliveroo said an approach from Uber could encourage Amazon to revive its interest. “If Uber was likely to buy it that would be a different environment. Once you have the combined Uber and Deliveroo volumes that could be disruptive.”

Uber has turned investor in recent years as it gears up for a potential New York listing in 2019 and makes plans to cut costs and target profitability. Its UberEats food delivery business has proved a success in many cities and controls around 10pc of the UK market.

Amazon has its own Amazon Restaurants business, although this does not have the scale of Deliveroo or UberEats.

Deliveroo has publicly talked of a float, but it is now thought to be unlikely before 2020. Chief executive Will Shu has also previously said an IPO would be “logical” for the company.

While Deliveroo has considerable cash runway as it mulls a public offering, two sources said executives and investors had considered raising an additional funding round before any listing. Deliveroo raised $385m from investors T. Rowe Price and Fidelity in 2017. One investor said: “There are discussions if they should raise, but there is no urgency.”

Deliveroo chief executive Will Shu is understood to be keen to keep the company independent

Another source suggested Deliveroo might consider an earlier listing to get ahead of Uber’s float, but the first half of 2020 was now a possibility.

Amazon’s own delivery venture, Amazon Restaurants has less than 5pc of the UK food delivery market, but it has since expanded its grocery delivery options thanks to its acquisition of Whole Foods.

One source said: “Amazon takes a long term view, but it has grown more acquisitive recently. The food delivery space has close to a £100bn market cap and it would be attractive for them to go into restaurant delivery.”