Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Norton Rose Fulbright are among a host of firms advising on the proposed merger between FTSE 100-listed US goldmining company Randgold and Canadian rival Barrick of Canada, in a deal that will value the combined company at about $18bn (£13.7bn).

Freshfields is part of an international team advising Barrick, which owns the Goldstrike and Cortez mines in Nevada, alongside Canadian corporate law firm Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg and US player Cravath Swaine & Moore. Offshore firm Carey Olsen is also advising.

The magic circle firm's team is being led by City corporate partners Piers Prichard Jones and Stephen Hewes, while M&A partner Melanie Shishler is leading for Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg.

A cross border Norton Rose Fulbright team is advising Randgold, alongside Canadian law firm Stikeman Elliott and offshore law firm Ogier.

The Norton Rose team is being led by City corporate partners Jon Perry and Nick Adams, and New York-based securities partner Steven Suzzan.

Cravath's team was led by partner Richard Hall on M&A matters and partner Andrew Pitts on securities matters.

Randgold, which is listed in the UK, operates five African goldmines across Mali, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal.

Last June, Freshfields advised Fosun Gold, a subsidiary of Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, on its £256m bid for London-listed miner Gemfields, the owner of the Fabergé jewellery brand. The team was led by Hong Kong corporate partner Philip Li, London corporate partners Stephen Hewes and Andrew Hutchings, and competition partner Alastair Mordaunt in Hong Kong.

South African private equity firm Pallinghurst Resources eventually won the bid for Gemfields. It was advised by a London-based White & Case team on UK matters, alongside ENSAfrica in South Africa and Mourant Ozannes in Guernsey.