Top officials of Panasonic Corp. and Sanyo Electric Co. have broadly agreed that Panasonic will make Sanyo a subsidiary in spring, sources said Nov. 2.

Panasonic, expected to launch a tender offer for Sanyo shares, may announce its plan to acquire the struggling electric appliance and electronics maker in the near future, the sources said.

Panasonic is reportedly considering buying Sanyo by acquiring some of the preferred Sanyo shares now held by three major creditor institutions.

The creditors — Goldman Sachs Group Inc. of the U.S., and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Daiwa Securities SMBC Co. — hold 430 million preferred shares issued by Sanyo in 2006.