GERMANY's flagship carrier Lufthansa is in talks to buy a 40 per cent stake in state-owned Alitalia's successor ITA Airways, two people familiar with the negotiations said yesterday, following a newspaper report that a deal could be unveiled next week.

The talks about a tie-up between Germany's partly state-owned Lufthansa and ITA Airways are still ongoing with all outcomes possible, one of the sources said on condition of anonymity, adding the stake price was still under negotiation.

The second source said Lufthansa and ITA were in talks over a 40 per cent stake sale, but it could take longer than a few days to reach a deal.

A Lufthansa spokesperson declined to comment, but reiterated an earlier statement that the German carrier was open to the possibility of a partnership with ITA.

An ITA spokesperson, when asked for comment by Reuters on a potential investment by Lufthansa, did not mention Lufthansa but said that the airline's top management would present a strategic plan to the company's board on 31 January.

A data room would then be opened in the following days, he added, allowing a potential bidder or partner to have access to key financial documents to assess the value of the company.

Italian daily Il Foglio reported on Saturday that the two companies could present a deal on a 40 per cent stake next week.

Reuters

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