May 21 (Reuters) - Britain's Johnson Matthey ( JMPLF )

said on Wednesday that it is in advanced discussions over a

potential sale of its Catalyst Technologies division, confirming

an earlier media report.

Sky News first reported the development. The Financial Times

separately reported that U.S. industrial conglomerate Honeywell ( HON )

is nearing a 1.8 billion pounds($2.42 billion) all-cash

deal to acquire Johnson Matthey's ( JMPLF ) catalyst unit.

Reuters couldn't immediately confirm the reports.

($1 = 0.7451 pounds)