MILAN, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Russia's Lukoil (LKOH.MM) and U.S. private equity firm Crossbridge are close to a deal for the sale of the Russian group's refinery in Sicily, Italy, three sources with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday. The Lukoil-owned site in Sicily refines a fifth of Italy's crude and directly employs about 1,000 people in an economically depressed area. Last week, Rome laid down a scheme to place the plant in the hands of trustees to protect jobs and domestic refinery capacity from the embargo. read moreThe possibility that the refinery may end up under a trusteeship has accelerated negotiations between Lukoil and Crossbridge, one of the sources said. ($1 = 0.9480 euros)Additional reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Leslie AdlerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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