Vincent Bolloré is determined to increase the share of Vivendi in Telecom Italy up to 15-20%. The French telecommunications group led by the Breton financier should therefore gain more than 8,5% of the Italian company, a stake that it is preparing to acquire from Telefonica as part of the sale of the Brazilian Gvt to the Spanish group.
The indiscretion, released today by MF, had a positive effect on the start of trading on the Telecom Italia stock on the Stock Exchange, which opened with an increase of more than one percentage point, only to then retreat in the following minutes.
Bolloré would aim to replicate the investment method that led him to 7,5% of Mediobanca (with the possibility of rising up to 8%), transforming entry into Telecom into a long-term strategic participation. The operation, which could start from next February, should predict the purchase of shares on the market, without offers to other members of the company.
The goal would be to build an axis between infrastructures and contents, combining the peculiarities of Telecom with those of Vivendi. Furthermore, it cannot be excluded that, at the same time, Bolloré is trying to probe the interest in the project of other investors such as Naguib Sawiris.
