June 26 (Reuters) - Carlyle and KKR & Co won an auction for a $10 billion student loan book from Discover Financial, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

According to the report, the joint bid topped a competing offer from Sixth Street, BlackRock and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, with the loan book selling above par.

The report adds that the auction attracted some of the biggest names in private credit such as Ares, Blackstone and Oaktree.

Last November, Discover Financial said it was

exploring

the sale of its student loan portfolio, stating that a potential sale would see the servicing of these loans transferred to a third party.

KKR, Carlyle and Discover Financial did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. (Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Alan Barona)