LONDON, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Shares in Man Group Plc rose 5.1 percent on Wednesday, with traders citing talk of takeover interest from U.S. fund group BlackRock .

BlackRock declined to comment, while Man Group was not immediately available for comment.

Traders also said positive weekly performance numbers from flagship fund AHL supported Man Group shares.

Citing rumours in the U.S. markets, the Daily Mail's market column said BlackRock was looking for another large deal after acquiring the funds business of Barclays last year.

The newspaper said the U.S. firm was missing the kind of hedge fund business that Man -- the world's largest listed hedge fund firm -- could provide.

EMG 243.8p +16p

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End-of-day Market Overview