* Total looking to sell part of its 16.8% stake -sources
* Hopes to raise up to $4 billion from sale
* Total held unsuccessful talks with Chinese oil company(Adds Total comment)
By Katya Golubkova, Ron Bousso and Shadia Nasralla
LONDON/MOSCOW, May 24 (Reuters) - France's Totalis seeking to sell part of its stake in Kazakhstan's giantKashagan oilfield to raise up to $4 billion, four bankingsources said.
Total holds a 16.8% stake in Kashagan, one of the world'slargest oilfields with production of about 400,000 barrels perday (bpd), and is seeking to sell around a third of its stake,according to the sources.
The company's entire stake has an estimated value of up to$9 billion, the sources said.
The energy group has held talks with a Chinese national oilcompany about a stake sale in recent months but the sides wereunable to agree on price, two sources said.
Total intially declined to comment but subsequently said itis not "currently" in talks with a Chinese company to sell astake in Kashagan. "Total has no ongoing sale process for itsKashagan stake," it added.
Kashagan, the world's biggest oil find in decades and themost expensive standalone oil project, took an estimated $50billion and 13 years to develop before starting in 2016.
Total is not using any external bankers in the sale process,one of the sources said.
The sale would be a welcome cash boost for Total as itprepares to buy $8.8 billion of oil and gas assets in Africafrom Occidental Petroleum should the U.S. group'sacquisition of rival Anadarko gothrough.
Kashagan is operated by the North Caspian Operating Company(NCOC) and the other partners in the field are Eni,Royal Dutch Shell, Exxon Mobil, KazMunayGas, Inpex and China National PetroleumCorp.
Kashagan, located in the Caspian sea, where temperaturesthroughout the year can drop below 30 Celsius and rise above 40Celsius, is expected to produce 370,000-400,000 bpd early nextmonth after undergoing maintenance.
Under Kazakh law, companies selling stakes in projects likeKashagan have to offer them to the Kazakh government first andcan sell to third parties only if the government chooses not tobuy.
Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry could not be reached forimmediate comment.
(Additional reporting by Bate Felix in Paris and MariyaGordeyeva in AlmatyEditing by Elaine Hardcastle and David Goodman)
