Publicis Groupe SA is in talks to buy Sapient Corp. as the French advertising company works to bolster its digital-technology edge after a failed merger attempt with Omnicom Group Inc., the Wall Street Journal said.

A deal to acquire Sapient, which has a market value of about $2.5 billion, could be announced as soon as Monday, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter who weren’t identified. Talks could also fall apart, according to the newspaper.

Publicis’s planned $35 billion merger with Omnicom, which would have created the world’s largest advertising company, was abandoned in May after executives clashed over how to run the combined entity. Paris-based Publicis, which owns ad agencies including Saatchi & Saatchi and Leo Burnett, cut its full-year sales forecast last month.

Buying Boston-based Sapient, a technology consulting company, would speed the ad agency’s shift to a digital- technology company, the newspaper said.

Peggy Nahmany, a spokeswoman for Publicis, didn’t immediately reply to a phone call seeking comment.

Publicis shares rose 2.3 percent to 55.27 euros in Paris trading on Friday. They have declined 17 percent this year. Sapient shares increased 2.8 percent to $17.32 on Friday and have dropped 0.2 percent in 2014.