“Sources told Street Talk on Thursday that parcels of the loan were being shopped around to hedge funds by dealing desks,” the Australian Financial Review column reported yesterday.

“The potential exit has been described as a ‘coal call’, with one bank keen to dial back its coal exposure identifying Whitehaven as one of the weaker holdings in a coal portfolio under pressure.”

The news follows recent views by Macquarie Wealth Management, which has an underperform rating on Whitehaven, that the Gunnedah Basin coal miner is likely to need more debt financing.

Whitehaven is not commenting on the report.