(Telecompaper) Telecom Italia (TIM) and state-backed lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) are negotiating a deal that may see the operator acquire Milan-based broadband provider Metroweb in exchange for a stake in its international wholesale unit TI Sparkle, according to unnamed sources cited by Reuters. Metroweb is currently owned by CDP-controlled Fondo Strategico Italiano (FSI) and infrastructure fund F2i, with Fastweb retaining an 11 percent stake. Italian daily La Repubblica also reported that a possible deal could see Telecom Italia buy F2i's 54 percent stake in Metroweb in cash before acquiring FSI's stake in exchange for a 25 percent stake in Sparkle.