UK fund Polygon raises Club Med stake to 9.23 pct -AMF

PARIS, Dec 16 (Reuters) - British fund Polygon Global Partners LLP has raised its stake in bid target Club Mediterranee to 9.23 percent from below 5 percent, with 8.32 percent of the voting rights, France's AMF financial regulator said in a statement on Tuesday.

French holiday operator Club Med (Paris: FR0000121568 - news) is at the centre of a bidding war pitting Chinese billionaire Guo Guangchang's Fosun conglomerate against Italian tycoon Andrea Bonomi in what is now France's longest-running takeover battle.

Each side has built similar stakes in the company. As of Dec. 1, Bonomi had 18.9 percent and Guo 18.3 percent.

In a previous statement to the AMF on Dec. 12, Polygon had said it intended to buy Club Med shares corresponding to its "contract for differences" (CFDs) equity derivatives in order to participate in Club Med's annual shareholders meeting on Jan. 12.

Polygon had specified it was not acting in concert with any third party and was awaiting the final bid for Club Med before deciding whether to tender its shares, according to the AMF statement.

Guo has until 1700 GMT on Dec. 19 to top Bonomi's 24 euro per share bid for Club Med. (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by James Regan)