Uber is in early talks to buy British food delivery startup Deliveroo, according to reports.

The Californian ride-hailing giant is understood to have approached Deliveroo, understood to be worth around $2bn, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

The sources, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that Deliveroo founder and chairman would expect a figure higher than the company’s reported market value.

Deliveroo is a popular app that sends couriers on pedal bike, motorbike or car to pick up food from restaurants that would not ordinarily offer delivery service.

If Deliveroo founder Will Shu decides to sell he will be succumbing to one of the companies' largest competitors in Europe, Uber Eats, which uses a network of Uber taxi drivers to deliver food to people’s homes or offices.