* Broker to cut at least 17 staff -sources
* Company declines to comment
(Adds no comment from company, background)
LONDON, April 5 (Reuters) - Nomura-owned broker Instinet Europe has put at least 17 staff, or about 10 percent of its European workforce, on notice that they could face redundancy, according to three sources close to the broker.
Instinet Europe, an agency broker that is owned by but operates separately from the Japanese bank, announced the move last week to workers across its departments, including high-profile head of sales Alex Foster, two of the sources said.
Instinet Europe declined to comment. Although one source close to the firm said some 17 individuals were affected, other sources put the number higher, at 25 or more.
The sources said the future of Instinet Europe has been clouded by Nomura's acquisition of Lehman Brothers' highly-rated European equities brokerage business in September 2008.
The two businesses overlap in key areas. (Reporting by Luke Jeffs; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)