MOSCOW — Gazprom-Media is holding talks on the acquirement of the Izvestiya newspaper at the market price as company considers this asset as an attractive one, Gazprom-Media general director Nikolay Senkevich has said. According to him, the holding is negotiating with the current owner of the newspaper - the Prof-Media company. The two parties are close to an agreement, Senkevich stressed. He declined to name the cost of the acquirement saying that the two parties are satisfied with it. He added that the price for the controlling stake in the company is a market one.

Earlier certain mass media guessed, what the deals could be worth. Some of them said the price for the asset could not exceed USD10m as the newspaper shows no high margin. For 2004, its profit from advertising, sales of newspapers and leasehold is estimated at USD13m-USD14m.