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MILAN (Reuters) - Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister and League leader Matteo Salvini said he would hail a takeover bid by Italy’s UniCredit for German rival Commerzbank.

“As an Italian, I would be really proud that an Italian bank was able to compete at a continental level... but given the sensitivity of the issue I’ll make no wishes or forecasts,” Salvini told reporters in Milan.

Reuters reported this week that UniCredit had stepped up preparations for a potential bid for Commerzbank by drafting in investment bankers including a former top German official, according to three people familiar with the matter.