Kogan negotiating Sberbank loan to buy Uralkali stake - source
MOSCOW. Sept 12 (Interfax) - Former banker and head of the Federal Construction and Housing Policy Agency Vladimir Kogan is currently closest to buying Suleyman Kerimov's stake in Russian potash giant Uralkali , a source close to the seller told Interfax.
He said Kogan is negotiating for a loan from Sberbank to finance the deal.
National daily Kommersant, citing sources, reported earlier that Kerimov wants $4.5 billion for his 21.75% stake in Uralkali. The current market price of the stake is about $3.6 billion.
Other ppotential buyers for Kerimov's stake in the company are thought to include tycoon Arkady Rotenberg, Sistema JSFC principal owner Vladimir Yevtushenkov in partnership with Russneft president Mikhail Gutseriyev, mining giant Norilsk Nickel or the Interros Group of its principal shareholder Vladimir Potanin, and one of Uralkali's current shareholders, Filaret Galchev. Potanin sought to buy Dmitry Rybolovlev's stake in Uralkali in 2010, but lost to Kerimov.
Rotenberg, Yevtushenkov and representatives of Gutseriyev and Norilsk Nickel denied holding negotiations to buy the Uralkali stake.
