Spain's Santander says not interested in buying Italy's Monte dei Paschi

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish bank Santander on Friday said it was not considering any potential acquisition of Italian lender Banca Montei dei Paschi di Siena following press reports mentioning such a possibility earlier in the day.

"Banco Santander denies any interest in buying Monte dei Paschi," a spokeswoman for the bank told Reuters.

Shares in Monte dei Paschi and other Italian banks plunged earlier this week on concerns over their financial strength. In a bid to reassure investors, the lender said on Friday it would publish preliminary full-year results on Jan. 28 ahead of a Feb. 5 scheduled release.

(Reporting by Jesus Aguado, editing by Julien Toyer)