Woodside, Santos proposed $52 billion tie-up unlikely to be sealed until at least Feb -source

Australia's Woodside Energy and rival Santos are unlikely to announce any agreement on a proposed A$80 billion ($52 billion) tie-up to create a global oil and gas giant until at least February, said a person with direct knowledge of the talks. Woodside and Santos last week confirmed speculation they were in preliminary discussions to create a joint entity that would have assets stretching from Australia to Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico, Papua New Guinea, Senegal and Trinidad and Tobago. Santos is being advised on the deal by Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, while Morgan Stanley is advising Woodside, sources confirmed.