Western Digital Corp. is planning to take just under 16 percent of the voting rights in Toshiba Corp.'s chip unit after it goes public in the future, sources close to the matter said Thursday.

The complicated monthslong bidding process surrounding Toshiba Memory Corp. could take a major step forward if Toshiba and Western Digital, a key member of one of the consortia bidding for the chip unit, can come to terms on how the U.S. company will be involved in is management — the focal point in the negotiations.

Toshiba aims to pick a buyer on Sept. 13 at its next board meeting, the sources said. In the mix are bids from a Japan-U.S.-South Korean consortium and Taiwanese tech giant Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., which recently acquired Sharp Corp.