UPDATE 3-Deals of the day -- mergers and acquisitions

(Adds Genzyme Corp, Dana Petroleum, updates Harry Winston)

July 23 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals involving European, U.S. and Asian companies were reported by 2000 GMT on Friday.

For Reuters columns on deals, click on [DEALTALK/])

** French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA (SASY.PA), on the hunt for a large acquisition, is sounding out biotech Genzyme Corp GENZ.O on a possible deal, a source familiar with the matter said. To read more please double click on [ID:nN23155324]

** Universal Robina Corp (URC.PS) and a consortium comprising the Campos family and Century Pacific Group of Companies have been shortlisted by Philippine conglomerate San Miguel Corp (SMC.PS) to buy a stake in its Pure Foods (PF.PS) unit, sources told Reuters on Friday. [ID:nSGE66M0G7]

** Korea National Oil Corp (KNOC) [KOILC.UL] said it raised its takeover offer last week for oil explorer Dana Petroleum DNX.L, valuing it at 1.67 billion pounds ($2.55 billion). [ID:nLDE66M1CZ]

** Private equity owners of New Zealand's Yellow Pages Group have launched a sale process for the business, two sources familiar with the deal said on Friday, in a sale that media reports say could be worth around $700 million. [ID:nSGE66M07V]

** Spanish bank Santander (SAN.MC) said on Friday it now had 98.4 percent of the shares in its Puerto Rico unit BanCorp following an offer worth about $56 million, or $12.69 a share. [ID:nLDE66M0BJ]

** UK-based Metals Exploration's (MTL.L) key shareholder offered to take the company private for about 35.8 million pounds ($54.6 million) in cash, in a bid to control the mining firm's gold and molybdenum project in the Philippines. [ID:nSGE66M0AF]

** Polo Ralph Lauren Corp (RL.N) said it will take direct control of its business in South Korea by paying about $47 million to its licensee Doosan Corp (000150.KS), as the fashion house furthers its plans to integrate its Asian market. [ID:nSGE66M0FQ]

** Gold miner Kinross (K.TO) is set to rake in a windfall from the sale of its stake in diamond miner and retailer Harry Winston (HW.TO) and its interest in the Diavik diamond mine in Canada's far north. [ID:nSGE66M0ET]

** DineEquity Inc (DIN.N) said on Friday it has agreed to sell 63 company-operated Applebee's restaurants in Minnesota and Wisconsin for $32 million. [ID:nN23257510]

** Mexican miner Grupo Mexico said on Friday it wants to merge its affiliates Southern Copper Corp and Asarco in order to boost efficiency, according to a filing with the Mexican stock exchange. [ID:nN23101823]

** The Corporate Library and GovernanceMetrics International (GMI) said they merged, combining two corporate governance research and risk ratings firms. [ID:nN2287018] (Compiled by Tina Kwan in Singapore and Rachel Chitra in Bangalore; Editing by Lincoln Feast)