Britain is prepared to pay up to €40 billion ($47 billion) as part of a deal to leave the European Union, the Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported, citing three unnamed sources familiar with Britain's negotiating strategy.

The EU has floated a figure of €60 billion and wants significant progress on settling Britain's liabilities before talks start on issues such as future trading arrangements.

The government department responsible for Brexit talks declined to comment on the article. So far, Britain has given no official indication of how much it will be willing to pay.