Italy’s Eni and Enel won on Wednesday an auction for the second lot of assets belonging to the bankrupt Yukos oil group, including a key 20 per cent stake in Gazpromneft, the oil arm of state-controlled Gazprom, and gas producers ArcticGaz and Urengoil.

But immediately after the results were announced, Gazprom’s deputy chief Alexander Medvedev told Russian newswires the gas giant was interested in buying the stake in Gazpromneft and at least a 51 per cent stake in gas producers ArcticGaz and Urengoil.