Italy to ask for postponement of Ilva handover to ArcelorMittal - sources

ROME (Reuters) - The new Italian government will ask for a postponement of a planned July 1 handover of Italy's Ilva steel plant to ArcelorMittal <MT.AS> as it seeks more time to rejig the terms of the deal, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.

The government is also thinking of giving Ilva a bridge loan to allow the steel maker, the largest in Europe, to cover its production costs in coming months, the sources said.

ArcelorMittal declined to comment while a spokeswoman for Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio said she could not confirm the delay or the loan.

(Reporting by Massimiliano Di Giorgio, writing by Francesca Landini)