UPDATE 1-Allegiance says unaware of any possible takeover

(Recasts with chairman's comment, adds share price)

By James Regan

SYDNEY, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Australian nickel group Allegiance Mining NL's AGM.AX chairman said on Wednesday he has not had any direct contact with any parties concerning a possible takeover bid.

Allegiance stock leapt more than 6 percent at the start of trading on talk that U.S. commodities trader Sempra Metals (SRE.N) had sold a 4.65 percent stake at a premium to the market price, sparking speculation another party was building up a stake.

"No, I have not had any direct contact at all," Chairman Tony Howland-Rose told Reuters by telephone from China, referring to any parties that may be sizing up Allegiance for a takeover.

The bid speculation follows the over A$3 billion ($2.7 billion) takeover of fellow nickel producer Jubilee Mines NL JBM.AX by Xstrata (XTA.L) last month as miners bulk up to cope with surging global demand for minerals.

Australia's abundance of nickel is attracting a swelling brigade of overseas investors betting that a global raw materials boom will go on for years.

At A$23 a share, Xstrata offered a 35 percent premium to Jubilee's closing price prior to the pitch. Earlier this year, Xstrata was outbid for another nickel miner, LionOre Mining, by Russia's Norilsk (GMKN.MM), which eventually paid $6.79 billion.

Allegiance holds an exclusive supply agreement with Chinese nickel major Jinchuan Group, which also bought an 11 percent stake in Allegiance earlier this year. Chinese companies are also active investors in Australia's resource sector as they seek raw materials to feed a hungry economy.