TOKYO, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Toshiba shares rose 3 percent in early trade on Wednesday after sources told Reuters that Western Digital Corp has offered to drop out of a group bidding for its flash memory chip business to take a stronger position in their joint venture instead.

The move could see Toshiba finally seal a deal to sell the chip business after months of delays, providing it with the funds needed to cover billions of dollars in liabilities arising from the failure of U.S. nuclear unit Westinghouse. (Reporting by Chris Gallagher; Editing by Stephen Coates)