LONDON, May 20 (Reuters) - Britain's GKN has walked away from talks to buy U.S. manufacturing plants from Boeing Co seen by analysts to be worth up to $3 billion, a source close to the negotiations told Reuters on Thursday.
The UK engineering firm bought a U.S. plant from Boeing in 2001 but a mooted purchase of Boeing's facilities in Wichita, Kansas, proved too large, the source said.
"They (GKN) have declined to submit a proposal," he told Reuters. "Size was an issue," he added, noting Boeing was interested in selling the Wichita plant together with two in Oklahoma.
A GKN spokesman declined to comment.