Provasoli, former dean of Milan's elite business university Bocconi and head of the supervisory board at state fund Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, would replace Elio Catania who resigned in September after being embroiled in a insider trading probe.

"Provasoli is the candidate of (Telecom Italia's) nomination committee," the source told Reuters.

Telecom Italia declined to comment.

Fund managers' association Assogestioni has proposed finance professor Francesca Cornelli as its candidate.

The board of Telecom Italia will decide on the replacement of Catania when it meets on Thursday. At the meeting Chairman Franco Bernabe is expected to resign following a strategy clash with the phone company's core shareholders.

(Reporting by Danilo Masoni, editing by Lisa Jucca and David Evans)

Stocks treated in this article : Telefonica SA, Telecom Italia SpA, RCS MediaGroup SpA