SAB Miller said to have formally appointed Goldman Sachs as defence adviser; speculation in talks with Diageo

Here is a juicy jackanory to set your pulses racing on a Monday morning.

I hear from top sources that SAB Miller has formally appointed heavyweight investment bankers from Goldman Sachs as defence advisers alongside uber grandee dealmakers Simon Robey and Simon Warshaw, Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan Cazenove.

The move signifies SAB Miller clearly expects Anheuser-Busch Inbev and 3G to come up with a formal offer after being outed last week as preparing a takeover bid - although given what has just happened with RSA (see this morning's statement) the FTSE 100 brewer is likely to be particularly cautious about provisionally accepting any takeover offer and allowing the Brazilians to do due diligence.

Still, my man reckon in dark glasses reckons SAB Miller and its army of defence advisers will be working furiously hard on ways to get the best price out of the boys from Brazil.

One option, speculated my man, is a potential tie-up with UK-listed rival Diageo.

So watch this space...or tune into Tip TV later this morning.

SAB Miller declined to comment.