A Chinese group has shown preliminary interest in U.S. aluminium maker Alcoa's Italian plant, Ugo Capellacci, president of the Sardinia region where the plant is located, said on Thursday.
He said he could offer no further details on the company, except to say that it was a "large group".
So far, Swiss commodities trader Glencore, Swiss industrial group Klesh and Italian wind power group Kite Gen Research have expressed an interest in the Sardinian plant, which is threatened with closure and the loss of 500 direct jobs.