"I don't measure my success by acquisitions or divestments," he told the Koelner Stadt-Anzeiger in an interview published on Saturday. "I think with our innovations we can grow under our own power."

But the Dutch executive added: "If a good opportunity arises to round out our business via acquisitions then we will have a look."

People familiar with the matter had said this week that Bayer was sounding out debt financing options with banks to prepare for takeover opportunities such as one that may arise from Pfizer Inc's (PFE.N) mooted exit from veterinary medicine.

Germany's largest drugmaker is encouraged by increasingly favorable market conditions for corporate bond issuers but is not eyeing a specific takeover deal, the sources said.

(Reporting by Georg Merziger and Martin Zwiebelberg; Writing by Michael Shields; Editing by James Jukwey)

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