Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Criteo, CDP, Spirit Airlines, Carlyle Group, Frankfurt-Hahn, Sabadell; Updates Santander) Feb 7 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2045 GMT on Tuesday:
** Sabadell has picked Italian payments group Nexi as the preferred bidder to acquire the Spanish bank's retailers' payments business, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
** Creditors of Frankfurt-Hahn airport in Germany have agreed to refer to the government a decision on whether a Russian billionaire named on a 2018 U.S. list of oligarchs can buy the airport, a source familiar with the proceedings told Reuters.
** Carlyle Group Inc is in talks to buy private healthcare technology firm Cotiviti Inc from Veritas Capital for up to $15 billion, including debt, a person familiar with the matter said.
** Spirit Airlines Inc said it expects U.S. antitrust regulators to decide whether to allow the low-cost carrier to proceed with its $3.8 billion merger with JetBlue Airways Corp JBLU.O in the "next 30 days or so."
** Italian state lender CDP is sounding out banks that could help finance its offer for Telecom Italia's landline grid while also speaking to infrastructure funds though time is tight to recruit another co-investor, sources close to the matter said.
** French advertising technology provider Criteo SA is making a new attempt to sell itself after discussions with potential acquirers in previous years proved unsuccessful, according to people familiar with the matter.
** Santander valued its Mexican business at around 8.1 billion euros ($8.65 billion) with the launch of a voluntary tender offer to acquire the 3.76% of shares it does not own, taking a step towards its de-listing.
** The investment arm of insurance giant Metlife Inc said it had agreed to acquire Raven Capital Management, a U.S. private credit manager with $2.1 billion in assets under management.
** Intesa Sanpaolo would need a cross-border merger and acquisition (M&A) deal to become a European leader in its core wealth management and insurance businesses, but there are no suitable targets at present, its chief executive said.
** Canada's Hut 8 Mining Corp will merge with rival US Bitcoin Corp to create a crypto mining giant in North America, consolidating after a steep fall in valuations for the crypto sector that saw high-profile collapses in recent months.
** Shares in Siemens Energy fell to their lowest level in four weeks , hit by a pending potential share issue the company has flagged to help fund its planned takeover of troubled wind division Siemens Gamesa .
** Top Japanese banks have agreed to issue commitment letters for a 1.4 trillion yen ($10.60 billion) loan that backs a Japan Industrial Partners-led consortium's takeover offer for Toshiba , Bloomberg News reported, citing sources.
** Apollo Global Management Inc is among a group of financial firms in talks to buy a stake in Credit Suisse Group's revamped investment bank, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
** BNP Paribas is not interested in buying a stake in Orange's banking unit, Chief Executive Jean-Laurent Bonnafe said.
** Holcim AG , the world's biggest cement maker, has agreed to buy U.S. roofing systems manufacturer Duro-Last in a $1.29 billion deal, the Swiss company said , its latest move to bolster its presence in North America.
** South Korea's Kakao Corp said it will acquire a 9.05% stake in SM Entertainment , an entertainment agency behind K-pop acts, including NCT and Aespa, in a deal worth 217.2 billion won ($172.8 million).
** Barrick Gold has ruled out a counterbid for number-one Australian gold producer Newcrest Mining , its chief executive told Bloomberg, eliminating what had seemed to be the most likely prospect of a rival to bidder Newmont .
** Philippine conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp said it has entered into a deal to acquire a third of Axelum Resources Corp to expand its agriculture portfolio.
** CVS Health Corp is close to an agreement to buy primary care center operator Oak Street Health Inc for about $10.5 billion, including debt, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
** Australia's Nitro Software said private equity firm Potentia Capital had indicated it may be in a position to beef up its takeover offer to gain due diligence, a move aimed at outbidding rival buyer, KKR Inc-backed Alludo.
** Britain's RELX has agreed to buy Aistemos, a firm that uses artificial intelligence to classify patents, for around 30 million pounds ($36 million) to enhance its intellectual property (IP) analytics, a source close to the company said.
** Vontobel Asset Management on Monday became the fourth Ritchie Bros Auctioneers shareholder to come out with concerns about the company's planned buyout of IAA Inc . (Compiled by Priyamvada C, Rajarshi Roy and Granth Vanaik in Bengaluru)