Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Banco BPM, Ferrovial, BNP Paribas, Brembo, Apollo Global, EDP Renovaveis, Viva Air, NS, Saipem)

Feb 28 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2100 GMT on Tuesday:

** Italy has been examining a potential tie-up between Monte dei Paschi di Siena and Banco BPM in the past few weeks in its search for a buyer for the state-owned Tuscan bank, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

** Spain' Ferrovial announced a plan for a reverse merger on Tuesday under which its wholly-owned Dutch subsidiary Ferrovial International SE (FISE) will absorb the engineering company and seek listing in Spain, the Netherlands and the United States.

** Belgium is preparing the sale of a third of its 7.8% equity stake in BNP Paribas, the euro-zone's biggest bank, the Belgian state participation agency SFPI said.

** Italian energy services group Saipem aims to raise about 750 million euros ($796 million) from the partial sale of assets in its drilling business, CEO Alessandro Puliti said on Tuesday, citing shallow water vessels in particular.

** Pirelli investor Brembo has signed an agreement to align its voting at the Italian tyre maker's shareholder meetings with that of fellow stakeholder Camfin, the two investors said on Tuesday.

** Private-equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc is in talks to acquire U.S. aluminum products maker Arconic Corp , the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

** Portugal's EDP Renovaveis (EDPR) has been sounding out investors, including sovereign wealth funds, to take a stake in the company to help finance its push for green growth, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

** Viva Air said it has temporarily suspended operations as the indebted low-cost carrier awaited a ruling by Colombia's civil aviation authority on its proposed merger with Avianca .

** The Dutch national railway operator NS is selling subsidiary company Abellio UK to its British management, Abellio UK announced on Tuesday, adding that the company will be renamed to Transport UK Group.

** Spanish grid operator Enagas has bought a 130km gas pipeline network from energy firm Reganosa while selling the latter a 25% stake in its El Musel regasification plant in northern Spain, the companies said.

** The British government granted billions of pounds in unlawful subsidies to Octopus Energy to take over collapsed energy supplier Bulb, three major rivals told a London court as they try to overturn the deal.

** Baytex Energy Corp said that it would buy U.S. peer Ranger Oil Corp in a $2.5 billion cash-and-stock deal, including debt, as the Canadian company looks to significantly boost its presence in South Texas' Eagle Ford shale basin.

** Private equity firm Auctus is preparing to sell photovoltaic systems provider Energiekonzepte Deutschland (EKD), German business daily Handelsblatt reported, citing financial sources.

** Singapore's Keppel Corp said that Sembcorp Marine (Sembmarine) has completed a S$4.50 billion ($3.34 billion) buyout of its offshore & marine unit after receiving the necessary shareholder approvals.

** United Arab Emirates-based telecoms group e& has increased its stake in Vodafone to 14%, saying its rationale was unchanged from May 2022 when it bought a 9.8% stake in the the London-listed group to "enhance and develop its international portfolio".

** The Berlusconi family is weighing the sale of a minority stake in AC Monza, the soccer club it has steered, to Italy's Serie A club during its five years of ownership, two sources familiar with the matter said.

** French insurer AXA said that it had successfully sold off most of its shares in Italian bank Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, divesting the stocks at a price of 2.33 euros per share.

** U.S. chipmaker Broadcom is set to receive a European Union antitrust warning about the possible anti-competitive effects of its proposed $61 billion bid for cloud computing company VMware in the coming weeks, people familiar with the matter said.

** Altria Group Inc is in advanced talks to buy e-cigarette startup NJOY Holdings Inc for at least $2.75 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. (Compiled by Rajarshi Roy and Pratik Jain in Bengaluru)