Repsol, Galp deny report of merger talks

LISBON (Reuters) - Spanish oil company Repsol (REP.MC: ) and Portugal's Galp (GALP.LS: ) denied a newspaper report on Friday that they were negotiating a possible merger. "Galp Energia would like to clarify that it had no contacts with Repsol in order to create a merger in the Iberian energy sector," Galp said in a statement, referring to a report in Portuguese business daily Diario Economico. "We deny it," a Repsol spokesperson also said. Citing unnamed sources close to the negotiations, Diario Economico reported that the talks could involve possible asset swaps between the two companies. The paper said a possible link-up between Repsol and Galp could involve the departure of Italy's Eni (ENI.MI: ) as a shareholder in Galp. Eni holds 33 percent of Galp. Shares in Galp rose 1.01 percent to 13.03 euros by 1030 GMT, helped also... [read full story]