Rothschild Bank is forming a consortium of Italian and international investors to present a bid for Alitalia, the Wall Street Journal Europe reported, citing a person close to the situation. The consortium will include Italian investors as well as two US private-equity funds, the person said, adding that Italian carriers Air One SpA and Meridiana SpA may be part of the group.

Intesa Sanpaolo SpA, Italy’s second-largest bank by market capitalization, is expected to back up the operation financially, the paper added.

In December, Italy published final details for the sale of its controlling Alitalia stake. The government plans to sell the stake sale within six months.
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