MILAN, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Italy's Banco Popolare is talking only with Britain's Barclays Plc about the sale of its Efibanca merchant bank, Banco Popolare Chief Executive Pier Francesco Saviotti said on Wednesday.
He said the mid-tier lender had no talks underway to sell its Banca Popolare di Crema, Banca Popolare di Cremona and Cassa di Risparmio di Pescara retail units.
"We're hoping for it, as soon as possible," Saviotti told reporters when asked the Efibanca sale would be completed by year's end. He spoke on the margins of a meeting of the Italian Banking Association's executive board.
An Efibanca purchase would be part of Barclays' expansion in western Europe. Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper reported last week that Barclays was interested in buying the retail units.
News reports have valued Efibanca at about 500 million euros ($748.7 million).
Shares in the Verona bank were off 1.21 percent at 6.935 euros at 0907 GMT, twice the downturn in the DJ Stoxx banks index.
Banco Popolare was the first Italian bank to sign up for a government crisis-fighting scheme aimed at bolstering capital ratios and assuring lending. It has issued 1.45 billion euros in bonds under the programme.
(Reporting by Andrea Mandala, writing by Ian Simpson; editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
($1=.6678 Euro)