Apple boss Steve Jobs received a liver transplant about two months ago and is expected to return to work later this month, a US newspaper has reported.

The Wall Street Journal said the Apple chief executive would be returning to his job on schedule, but may initially work part-time. Neither Jobs nor a company spokeswoman confirmed the report, the newspaper said.

Jobs ceased his normal management role more than five months ago.

In January, he announced that he was being treated for a "hormone imbalance", and had been losing weight throughout 2008.

Jobs co-founded Apple in 1976. He left in 1985, before returning in 1997 and becoming full-time chief executive in 2000. He is seen to have played a crucial role in Apple's growth.

The company's share price has recently risen and fallen in step with rumours or news about his health.

He has already survived a pancreatic cancer that was diagnosed in 2004.