News: MQG UPDATE 1-Italy govt distances itself from report on bid for ASPI

(Updates with sources from Italy PM's office, CDP comment)

ROME, Oct 2 (Reuters) -

A Bloomberg report suggesting that the Italian government is aware of and could support a possible bid for motorway operator Autostrade per l'Italia (ASPI) is "completely groundless," sources from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office said.

Citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the matter, Bloomberg wrote on Monday that Italian construction magnate Matterino Dogliani was considering bidding for a controlling stake in ASPI.

Dogliani's family company Fininc was looking at teaming up with an international investment firm for a friendly offer of about eight billion euros ($8.40 billion) that would value Aspi around 20 billion euros including debt, the report said.

If it were to go through, the transaction would be one of Italy's biggest deals in the last decade, Bloomberg said, adding that the Italian government "might" support it.

Aspi was bought last year from the Benetton family's Atlantia company by a consortium led by Italy's state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), also including international funds Macquarie (MQG) and Blackstone BX.N . The deal was worth 9.3 billion euros.

Asked about the Bloomberg report, CDP declined to comment. Macquarie also declined to comment.

The Benettons sold the asset, which manages around 3,000 kilometres of motorways in Italy, after coming after strong criticism from the government for the 2018 collapse of a bridge along its network in Genoa, in which 43 people died.

($1 = 0.9518 euros)