Autostrade's controlling shareholder plans to place a 10-12 percent stake in the Italian toll road operator with institutional investors by Monday, according to newspaper reports on Sunday.
La Repubblica said Schemaventotto would place 59 million shares - 10.3 percent of Autostrade's capital - at 15.75-15.95 euros each, offering as much as a 4.2 percent discount from Friday's closing price of 16.44 euros.
Il Sole 24 Ore said the placement could be up to 12 percent, cutting Schemaventotto's stake to 50 percent from 62.2 percent now.
Autostrade and Edizione Holding, the Benetton family holding company which controls Schemaventotto, declined to comment on the reports.
La Repubblica said Schemaventotto would use the money to pay off almost all of its debt, which the paper said stood at 1.1 billion euros. It added that UniCredito bank could pull out of Schemaventotto and take a 3.4 percent direct stake in Autostrade instead.
La Repubblica said Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup were leading the deal.
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