Deals of the day-Mergers and acquisitions

Adds CSX Corp, QatarEnergy, Electronic Arts, GSK, Ares Management

Sept 29 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1430 GMT on Monday:

** CSX Corp CSX.O on Monday appointed Steve Angel as its top boss, replacing Joe Hinrichs, as the railroad operator fends off pressure from an activist investor while facing industry consolidation.nL3N3VG0Q9

** QatarEnergy has signed a long-term agreement with German industrial gases company Messer to supply high-purity helium, which is used in a wide variety of technologies ranging from MRI scanners to quantum computing.nL3N3VG0M1

** Videogame publisher Electronic Arts EA.O said on Monday it has agreed to be taken private by a consortium that included private equity firm Silver Lake, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Affinity Partners for $55 billion. nL3N3VG0LM

** GSK's GSK.L CEO Emma Walmsley will step down at the end of the year and be replaced by insider Luke Miels, the drugmaker said, a surprise switch as the British firm looks to rev up its pipeline and navigate U.S. trade tariff uncertainty. nL3N3VG09F

** Ares Management <ARES.N> said on Monday its infrastructure funds have bought Meade Pipeline for about $1.1 billion, adding a key natural gas asset to its U.S. energy business as demand for power and gas surges. nL3N3VG0JY

** Denmark's Genmab GMAB.CO has agreed to acquire Merus NV 2GH.F, MRUS.O, a Nasdaq-listed Dutch biotech firm developing a head-and-neck cancer drug, for $8 billion in cash, the two companies reported. nL2N3VG03Q

** TotalEnergies TTEF.PA will sell 50% of its solar portfolio in North America in a $950 million deal, it said, adding that it also plans to invest in gas producing assets in the United States, shoring up future supplies for its core business. nL5N3VG060

** Synlait Milk SML.NZ reported a much narrower annual net loss and announced the sale of its North Island assets for NZ$307 million ($177.2 million) to U.S.-based Abbott Laboratories ABT.N, sending its shares surging. nL2N3VF05M

** Hobbycraft-owner Modella Capital will buy most of U.S.-based Claire's UK and Irish operations, administrators of the struggling jewellery chain reported. nL3N3VG0H9

** Occidental Petroleum OXY.N is negotiating the sale of its OxyChem division, a transaction that could value the unit at a minimum of $10 billion, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. nL2N3VF03R

** MFE-MediaForEurope MFEB.MI, the TV group controlled by Italy's Berlusconi family, is in exclusive talks on the purchase of a relevant stake in the Portuguese media group Impresa IMPA.LS, Impresa said on Saturday. nL2N3VE059

(Compiled by Dharna Bafna in Bengaluru)

((Dharna.Bafna@thomsonreuters.com;))