Russia`s second largest oil group Lukoil is in advanced negotiations with Repsol YPF to buy 30 percent of the Spanish-Argentine company in a deal worth 9.0 billion euros, Spanish national radio said Wednesday.

Lukoil wants to buy the 20 percent stake in Repsol held by the construction firm Saycr as well as 10 percent from other shareholders, the radio said, quoting `financial sources.`

Neither Repsol nor Sacyr were available to comment on the report.

Saycr said last week that since September 12, when it made known its interest in selling the stake, it has had `several contacts with possible investors, with no agreement having yet been reached.`

If a deal were struck, it would make privately owned Lukoil the largest shareholder in Repsol, which reported a 5.8 percent fall in third-quarter profits to 699 million euros (875 million dollars).

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov was also quoted last week as saying that another big Russian energy group, state-owned Gazprom, was interested in buying Saycr`s 20-percent stake.