Investors and fans could be given the chance to buy shares in Facebook as early as this autumn, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Citing its usual ‘people familiar with the matter', WSJ says the company's bosses have written an internal prospectus, and are ready to go public when they get the nod.

The period between April and June next year has been suggested as a likely time, although Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has reportedly not made any final decisions.

The IPO could value the company at more than US$100 billion.