Sajid Javid, the former chancellor of the exchequer, is in talks about a role with an investment firm with close links to SoftBank, the giant Japanese conglomerate.

Sky News has learnt that Mr Javid, who recently announced that he would not stand for re-election in his Bromsgrove seat, has held preliminary talks with Centricus, a London-based group which manages more than $40bn in assets.

Sources said the talks between Mr Javid and Centricus were not certain to result in a job.

If he does join the firm, the former cabinet minister would be reunited with a number of former colleagues from Deutsche Bank, where he worked for nearly a decade.

Mr Javid left the German investment banking powerhouse in July 2009 "to give something back through public service", according to his LinkedIn profile.

He held several senior ministerial roles, including at the Department of Health, as business secretary, and at the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

His eight-month stint as chancellor ended in February 2020.

Later that year, he became an adviser to a number of companies, including the Wall Street investment bank JP Morgan.

It was unclear on Monday what his precise role might be at Centricus if he did join the firm.

Founded in 2016, Centricus is focused on investments in sectors including financial services, infrastructure and consumer, media, entertainment and sports.

It helped to structure the fundraising for the vast SoftBank Vision Fund and led a $50m investment into Tamara Mellon's eponymous luxury shoe brand.

Last year, it submitted an unsuccessful bid to buy Chelsea Football Club.

Centricus's senior team includes Garth Ritchie and Nizar Al-Bassam, both of whom held executive posts at Deutsche Bank.

A spokesperson for Mr Javid said: "Sajid of course continues to have strong relationships in business, finance and other sectors, but he has not yet considered any roles with any organisations.

"His recent decision to stand down means that he can start to explore, over the next two years, what the next phase of his career will involve."

The same spokesperson issued a statement to Sky News on 25 November insisting that Mr Javid had "sent confirmation to Conservative Party HQ that he intends to stand again at the next general election", in response to questions about his parliamentary future.

A week later, the former chancellor announced publicly that he would step down as an MP.

Centricus declined to comment on its discussions with Mr Javid.