Report: Italians Ready for Alitalia Bid

Berlusconi, who opposes the Air France-KLM bid and is campaigning to become the next premier, had said for days that a group of Italian entrepreneurs would come forward to make their own offer for Alitalia. But he had so far failed to identify them.

On Thursday, La Stampa newspaper quoted him as mentioning Eni SpA, the Benetton family of the clothing empire, the Ligresti family, which controls the Italian insurer Fondiaria-SAI, and investment bank Mediobanca SpA.

"In few days the Italian group will come forward and will ask for four weeks to make an alternative offer," Berlusconi was quoted as saying in the newspaper.

Air France-KLM is currently in exclusive talks to take over the ailing Italian airline.

The Franco-Dutch group has said it would present a revised plan Friday, after the current offer was opposed by Italy's powerful labor unions. The unions said they would examine the new proposal either Friday or early next week.

The deadline of Air France-KLM's offer is next Monday and Alitalia said after a board meeting late Wednesday that it had not yet decided whether to extend it.