The June leak of nine allegedly “mastered, finished” tracks from Guns N’ Roses’ long-delayed “Chinese Democracy” spurred a renewed round of speculation about whether the Axl Rose-led band will finally release the 14-years-in-the-making album.

But some concrete signs are finally emerging that the album’s release could be imminent. That’s because, according to sources, negotiations are under way for “Chinese Democracy” to come out as an exclusive at one of the big-box retailers — either Wal-Mart or Best Buy.

Negotiations are also ongoing for conventional record company distribution, another source said.