BUZZ-William Hill: best day in 3 months after confirming merger talks
** William Hill (Other OTC: WIMHF - news) rises 5.4 pct, its best day since mid-July, after confirming merger talks with Canada's Amaya (NasdaqGS: AYA - news)
** Co says deal would create a global leader in sports betting, poker and casino
** Top riser on Stoxx 600 and most traded by average volumes - 1.5x 30-day average in the first hour of trade on Monday
** Liberum says there will be scepticism to a deal completing on a number of fronts but says William Hill clearly now "in play" as an M&A target
** Deal to merge with 888 and Rank in a three-way combination collapsed in August
** UK peers up 1-2 pct