The battle over Expro International took a fresh twist on Friday after a consoritum led by private equity group Candover increased its offer for the UK oilfield services group, trumping a rival proposal from Halliburton of the US.

Umbrellastream, a consortium led by Candover and which includes Goldman Sachs Capital Partners and AlpInvest Partners, said it was offering £15.50 a share, which had been unanimously recommended by Expro’s independent directors.