You asked for a run for your money, Goldman? You shall get it – in abundance. The consortium that includes Goldman and is being led by London private-equity firm Candover looks like it may be forced to do battle with Halliburton for the hand of the fair Expro, the world's second- largest oilfield-services provider, whose stock is on the wax today. But only Candover’s cadre has so far placed a bid (accepted at $3.2 billion, representing a hefty premium over Expro’s pre-takeover-talks price). Is it too late for Halliburton to jostle into pole position? Or does it still have a chance to win this three-dimensional chess game? Read on for the latest plot twists.

Halliburton Co., the world's second- largest oilfield-services provider, may offer to buy Expro International Group Plc to counter a bid from Candover Partners Ltd., three people with knowledge of the talks said.

Halliburton, which is studying Expro's accounts, wants to add Expro's equipment for testing offshore oil wells to its onshore business, said the people, who declined to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Talks are still at an early stage, they said.

A takeover would allow Halliburton to compete against rival Schlumberger Ltd., the world's biggest oilfield contractor, said Keith Morris, an analyst at Evolution Securities Ltd. in London. Crude's 82 percent gain during the past 12 months has made seabed drilling more viable as producers seek to replace aging oil and gas fields.

``Halliburton doesn't have the sort of expertise that Expro has to compete against Schlumberger in that particular end of the market,'' Morris, who's reviewing his ``add'' rating on Expro's shares, said in a telephone interview today. ``It would be a very complementary fit into Halliburton's business.''

Expro yesterday agreed to a 1.61 billion-pound ($3.2 billion) bid from a group led by London-based private-equity firm Candover, along with a unit of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The offer was for 1,435 pence a share.

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