(Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc is interested in taking office space at Hudson Yards, looking west to replace their U.S. headquarters in Times Square, according to people with knowledge the matter.

The London-based bank is seeking roughly 500,000 square feet of space (46,450 square meters), the people said.

Barclays current U.S. headquarters is at the former Lehman Brothers building in Times Square. Barclays acquired the property as part of a deal to buy part of the investment bank’s U.S. operations in 2008.

A spokesman for Barclays declined to comment.

Office leasing in New York has slumped this year, battered by a pandemic that has kept many corporate workers at home. But there are signs that companies are betting on a return to Manhattan. Facebook Inc. announced a lease in August for the entire office space at the Farley Building, a former post office near Pennsylvania Station.

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