Coworking giant WeWork Cos. Inc. is in talks regarding a possible merger with Bow Capital-affiliated blank-check company BowX Acquisition Corp., and the parties could strike a deal as soon as the week of March 1, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.

The negotiations between The We Co. unit and BowX could still fall apart, and the coworking company is exploring other financing options, the publication added, citing some of the people.

WeWork postponed its IPO plans indefinitely in September 2019 to focus on its core business, resulting in a series of changes, including a new CEO.

Separately, WeWork Co-founder and former CEO Adam Neumann is set to receive a $50 million special payout to settle a dispute with SoftBank Group Corp., which will also extend a $430 million loan it made in 2019 to Neumann by five years, the WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Under the settlement deal, the Japanese backer of WeWork will reportedly purchase approximately $1.5 billion of stock from other WeWork investors, including about $500 million from Neumann and pay $50 million for Neumann's legal fees.

If the parties are able to enter into a settlement agreement in the next few days, it could potentially help them avoid a trial in early March, the report added.