Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Persidera, AstraZeneca, Nestle SA, Telefonica )

June 8 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Monday:

** Telefonica's German division TEF.MC has signed a deal to sell thousands of phone masts for 1.5 billion euros, the latest move by a telecom operator to generate cash from its assets in preparation for investment in next-generation 5G internet. Nestle SA NESN.S is selling the North American business of its Buitoni pasta brand to private-equity firm Brynwood Partners, the Swiss food group said. Italy's antitrust could withdraw conditions it imposed last year for clearing the sale of Telecom Italia 's TLIT.MI broadcasting unit Persidera to infrastructure fund F2I and mast company EITowers due to a "change in market and company situations". A merger between AstraZeneca AZN.L and Gilead Sciences Inc GILD.O is unlikely due to significant political hurdles, Wall Street analysts said after a Bloomberg report that the British drugmaker last month had contacted its U.S. rival about a deal. EU antitrust regulators are concerned about Fiat Chrysler FCHA.MI and Peugeot car maker PSA's PEUP.PA combined high market share in small vans and may require concessions to clear their $50 billion merger, people familiar with the matter said. British subprime lender Amigo AMGO.L is no longer up for sale after a potential bidder pulled out of the process and its chairman Stephen Wilcke resigned on June 7, it said. U.S. private equity firm Blackstone (NYSE: BX ) BX.N has lowered its takeover bid for the Dutch bank NIBC NIBC.AS by around 25%, after it said the coronavirus pandemic threatened to derail the deal altogether. Estonian bank LHV LHV1T.TL has agreed to buy Danske Bank 's DANSKE.CO Estonian corporate and public sector credit portfolio, which at end-April amounted to approximately 312 million euros ($352 million), it said. Munich Re's MUVGn.DE Ergo unit is entering China's property and casualty insurance market with a 24.9% stake in Taishan Property & Casualty Insurance Co through a capital increase, the German insurance company said. Indian oil-to-telecoms conglomerate Reliance Industries RELI.NS said on Sunday that the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) will buy 1.16% of its digital unit Jio Platforms for 56.83 billion rupees ($752 million). China's Zijin Mining Group Co 601899.SS , 2899.JK said on Sunday it would pay 3.88 billion yuan ($548 million) to acquire a majority stake in a mining firm with rights to two copper deposits in Tibet. Britain's AstraZeneca AZN.L has approached U.S. rival Gilead Sciences GILD.O about a possible merger to form one the world's largest drug companies, Bloomberg News reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter. Private equity firm Sycamore Partners is in preliminary talks to acquire J.C. Penney Co Inc out of bankruptcy should the U.S. department store chain's negotiations with its creditors fail, three people familiar with the matter said on Friday. India's Yatra Online Inc said on Friday it was terminating a pending merger agreement with U.S. software firm Ebix Inc EBIX.O , and had filed a litigation seeking "substantial" damages for Ebix's alleged breach of deal terms.