Australia's Asciano says considering Brookfield's 4.32 billion-pound approach

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian freight company Asciano Ltd (AIO.AX) said on Wednesday that it was in discussions with Canada's Brookfield Infrastructure Group after the Canadian firm made an informal approach to buy it for A$8.8 billion (4.32 billion pounds).

Brookfield made an indicative, non-binding and conditional proposal to buy all Asciano's shares for A$9.05 per share, Asciano said in a statement.

The proposed offer represents a 36 percent premium to Asciano's closing price of A$6.65 on Tuesday. The shares were in a trading halt because of the announcement.

If Asciano accepts Brookfield's cash and shares proposal, it will be the seventh-largest inbound takeover of an Australian company and the second-largest by a Canadian firm, according to Thomson Reuters data.

It would also make the logistics industry the most sought-after for M&A deals in Australia this year. In January, Asciano's former parent company, Toll Holdings, agreed to a A$6.5 billion buyout by Japan Post.

In its statement, Asciano said Brookfield approached the company with its cash and scrip proposal on June 26.

The Asciano board and its advisers "concluded that it was in the interests of ... shareholders to engage further with Brookfield on an exclusive basis to progress the proposal", the statement said.

Discussions are at an early stage and depend on clearing several major steps before proceeding to a formal takeover bid, including allowing Brookfield to complete due diligence and final approval by the investment committee of Brookfield's parent company Brookfield Asset Management Inc (BAMa.TO).

(Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Biju Dwarakanath and Stephen Coates)