(Drops "former" from decription of Saint-Affrique in first paragraph)

PARIS (Reuters) -Danone's board is due to meet on Monday to approve Barry Callebaut boss Antoine de Saint-Affrique's nomination as chief executive, Le Figaro newspaper reported on Sunday.

De Saint-Affrique announced on April 22 he was stepping down from Swiss chocolate maker Barry Callebaut at the end of August, sparking speculation he would be a top candidate to take over at Danone.

Danone did not respond to requests for comment.

The yoghurt maker is looking to replace Emmanuel Faber, who was ousted in March after activist shareholders took aim at the company and its recent performance compared to peers in the food industry.

Several people close to the matter have previously told Reuters that De Saint-Affrique was one of the people in the running for CEO, and one said he was the front-runner for the job.

(Reporting by Sarah White and Gwenalle Barzic; Editing by William Maclean and Susan Fenton)