The Financial Times says a Nippon Steel executive is in Washington in a final attempt to win approval for its acquisition of US Steel. The takeover by the Japanese company is opposed by the Biden administration.

The newspaper says Nippon Steel Vice Chairman Mori Takahiro will meet senior US government officials on Wednesday. It called the meetings "a last-ditch effort to salvage the acquisition."

Nippon Steel in December last year said the two companies had agreed on the deal. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States has since been examining the proposed takeover.

Last week, several media reported the committee had recommended halting the acquisition due to national security concerns. The reports cite unnamed sources.

Media have also said US President Joe Biden is set to block the multibillion dollar deal.

However, the Financial Times story says the US State Department and the Pentagon did not agree with the committee's conclusion.

The report says some experts point out that Japan is a key US ally and works closely with Washington on many sensitive security issues.