Reuters) - Commodities giant Glencore (GLEN.L) has started talks with Rio Tinto's (RIO.L)(RIO.AX) largest shareholder, Aluminium Corp of China (Chinalco), as it seeks to pave the way for a possible merger in 2015, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.
Reuters reported last month that Glencore could make a move for mining rival Rio Tinto to gain exposure to iron ore, citing banking sources.
Bloomberg said in its report that Glencore had made a preliminary step toward securing the tie-up by holding discussions in recent weeks with Chinalco (3668.HK), which owns a 12.91 percent stake in Rio Tinto, according to Reuters data.
Citing two people familiar with the situation, Bloomberg reported that Glencore had opened the talks to gauge Chinalco's interest in a potential deal.
Spokesmen for both Rio Tinto and Glencore said their companies do not comment on market speculation.