Benzinga's M&A Chatter for Thursday January 7, 2016:

The following are the M&A deals, rumors and chatter circulating on Wall Street for Thursday January 7, 2016:

:

Shire Pharmaceuticals Plc

could announce a deal to acquire Baxalta International Inc

as early as Monday, according to sources reported by

on Thursday. The sources say the purchase price will be $48 per share, with almost $20 per share being paid in cash. Sources also said the potential tax issues, reported by

on Wednesday, would not be an obstacle. Baxalta closed at $40.65 on Thursday, up 3.33%.

:

Lamar Advertising Company

announced Thursday, that it has acquired the assets of Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc.,

in five U.S. markets for $458.5 million in cash. The acquisition adds more than 5,500 bulletin and poster faces. Clear Channel Outdoor closed at $5.50 on Thursday, down 6.62%.

:

Oi SA

has started talks with the controlling shareholder of TIM Participações SA

, Telecom Italia

, regarding a potential merger, according to sources as reported by

on Thursday. There is no indication of when the talks began and the value of potential deal is not known, the sources said. Telecom Italia and Oi declined comment. TIM Participações closed at $8.05 on Thursday, down 4.73%. Oi shares fell 7.55%, closing at $0.39.