Sources tell GlobeSt.com that Normandy has emerged the topbidder for 273, 281 and 321 Summer St., reportedly paying close to$75 million for the 270,000-sf package.

Calls to Normandy officials were not returned by press deadline,while a broker for the seller, Archon Group LP, declined comment.That broker, Coleman Benedict of Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, wouldneither confirm nor deny that a deal had been struck. Others saidto have competed hard for the properties include Everest PartnersLLC and a partnership of AEW Capital Management and Saracen, twolocal players who teamed up last year to buy One Washington Mall indowntown Boston.

Sources could not say precisely what price Normandy bid, or howfar along in the process the deal is, but several insisted that thefirm has the buildings under agreement. "That's definitely thecase; they do have it tied up," claimed one broker. Another sourcemaintained that Normandy is paying at least $73 million andpossibly upwards of $275 per sf, a figure that would equal $74.2million. If the sale does reach or exceed $275 per sf, one sourcecharacterized the number as "frightening," especially given thecondition of the conjoined 273 and 281 Summer St. buildings, whichwill require extensive renovation to lease as market-rate officespace.