China National Chemical Corp. and other investors are making a bid for Pirelli & C. SpA that could value the Italian tire manufacturer at around $7.7 billion—one of the largest overseas acquisitions by a Chinese state firm in recent years. The deal will give China, the largest auto market in the world, control of one of the world’s top tire brands and if the tender is completed, the largest acquisition by a Chinese state firm since oil giant Cnooc Ltd.’s $15 billion acquisition of Nexen Inc. in 2012, according to Dealogic data. A unit of China National Chemical, known as ChemChina, will initially pay about €1.8 billion ($1.9 billion) to buy a 26% stake in Pirelli owned by Camfin, […]