Linklaters has won the mandate to advise French utilities giant SUEZ on its 11.2bn (£7.6bn) acquisition of Benelux energy supplier Electrabel, as the elite firm continues to benefit from the revival in cross-border European M&A.

The transaction sees Linklaters client SUEZ offer to buy the 49.9% stake of Electrabel it does not already own for 11.2bn. Linklaters is advising the acquirer through its Belgian and French practices, fielding a team under Brussels-based corporate partner Jean-Marie Nelissen Grade and Paris partner Marc Loy.

The mandate continues a strong run for Linklaters after landing a string of key European instructions in 2005. According to Merger-market, the magic circle firm advised on announced European deals with a combined value of 81.2bn (£55.9bn) in the first half of the year, placing Linklaters third in the overall deal rankings.