Apple’s iconic chief Steve Jobs underwent a liver transplant about two months ago and is expected to return to work later this month, says a media report.

Jobs, who has been on medical leave from Apple since January to treat an undisclosed medical condition, “received a liver transplant in Tennessee about two months ago”, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

“The chief executive has been recovering well and is expected to return to work on schedule later this month, though he may work part-time initially,” the daily said in a report published online on Saturday. Jobs did not respond to an e-mail requesting comment, it noted.

Quoting Apple spokeswoman Katie Cotton, the daily said, “Steve continues to look forward to returning at the end of June, and there’s nothing further to say.”

Attributing to a person familiar with the thinking at Apple, the report said that when Jobs comes back to work, he may be encouraged by his physicians to initially “work part-time for a month or two”.

The Wall Street Journal noted, that may lead Tim Cook, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer, to take “a more encompassing role”, and that Cook may be appointed to Apple’s board in the not-too-distant future.