Reuters: BC Partners leads for near-$2.5B buyout of CenturyLink data centers

• BC Partners is the firm in the lead to take over the data center business from CenturyLink (CTL -0.7%), in a deal that CenturyLink hopes crosses the $2.5B mark, Reuters reports.
• But the deal is uncertain because of complicated leases CenturyLink has with Digital Realty Trust (NYSE:DLR).
• The lead rival for a deal -- a consortium with GTCR, Charlesbank Capital Partners, Berkshire Partners and Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners -- has broken up without a deal, sources told Reuters.
• CenturyLink was reported to be months away from a deal because of the difficulty in telecoms separating data centers from tightly intertwined services (like "separating Siamese twins"). Facing the same challenges, AT&T scrapped its plan last year to sell data centers.