Linklaters has secured a lead role one of the largest European mergers of the last decade after being instructed by French power group Suez on the company’s E73bn (£50bn) merger with Gaz de France (Gdf).

The merger bid, the latest in a line of major bids in the energy and utility sectors, will be structured on a share-for-share swap, with the private utility Suez effectively acquiring the state-controlled GdF.