The world's largest tech fund is considering a $1 billion plus investment in WeWork

(Reuters) - Japanese technology giant SoftBank is considering an investment of more than $1 billion (£800 million) in coworking space provider WeWork, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The deal could be among the first from SoftBank's $100 billion (£80 billion) technology fund, which was announced last October and is being described as the largest fund of its kind in the world.

SoftBank and WeWork declined to comment.

WeWork is currently valued at nearly $17 billion (£14 billion) and SoftBank's valuation of the company is expected to be at or above this figure, the WSJ said, citing the sources.

SoftBank previously discussed an investment in WeWork before pulling out, the Journal reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, and added talks may not result in a deal this time.

Some SoftBank executives have raised questions whether the WeWork deal is over-valued, saying a company in the business of office space is far afield from tech-focused investments, the newspaper reported.

SoftBank also recently held discussions with Uber, though it isn't clear if an investment is in the pipeline, the WSJ reported.

Masayoshi Son, the CEO and chairman of SoftBank, told President Donald Trump that he will create 50,000 new jobs in the US as a result of his investment activities in the country. Half of the $100 billion (£800 million) is going to go to US companies, according to a Tweet from Trump last December.

When the fund was announced, SoftBank said it will be made up with $45 billion (£37 billion) from Saudi Arabia via the Kingdom's Public Investment Fund, $25 billion (£20 billion) from SoftBank, and $35 billion (£28 billion) from other global investors.

A number of tech giants have confirmed that they intend to contribute to the fund. Apple, for example, confirmed earlier this month that it plans to invest $1 billion (£800 million) in the fund. Other investors include Oracle founder Larry Ellison and chipmakers Foxconn and Qualcomm. Mubadala, a holding company established and owned by the government of Abu Dhabi, is planning to invest $10 billion.

(Reporting by Sangameswaran S and Bhanu Pratap in Bengaluru; Editing by Sunil Nair)