By Dan Lalor

LONDON (Reuters) - Oil field services firm Expro International, which agreed to a takeover in April, said it had received a higher approach worth 1.7 billion pounds from U.S. rival Halliburton.

Fast-growing Expro said the proposal from Halliburton, the world's second-biggest oil services company behind Schlumberger , was pitched at 1,525 pence per share and subject to conditions.

Expro shares, up sixfold over the past four years, rose 0.3 percent to 1,545 pence early on Friday.

Oil and gas industry services providers such as Expro have benefited as record energy prices prompt companies to boost spending on exploration and development of reserves.

This has attracted bidding interest from private equity firms and trade buyers for oil field services firms, with the tussle for Expro following other deals in the sector.

On April 17, Expro agreed to a bid of 1.61 billion pounds worth 1,435 pence per share from funds managed by private equity firm Candover and investment bank Goldman Sachs.

On April 18, Halliburton announced it was mulling a counterbid, saying: "The offer would be based on Halliburton's analysis of synergy and other benefits that could be derived from combining its business with Expro and consistent with the company's previously espoused strategy of making acquisitions which are accretive to shareholder value".

Evolution Securities analyst Keith Morris said from a share price point of view "we are there or thereabouts" and that Halliburton, as a trade buyer, should be able to pay more than private equity which cannot extract any synergies.