MILAN - Italian energy services group Saipem is working to bring forward a planned 2 billion euro ($2.12 billion) capital increase and carry it out in the summer, CEO Francesco Caio told Il Sole 24 Ore in an interview published on Tuesday.

The capital hike, coupled with asset sales, is aimed at funding a turnaround plan after the group stunned investors in January when it cut earnings by a billion euros due to a sharp deterioration of margins on contracts including offshore wind.

Chief Operating Officer Alessandro Puliti added in the same interview that Saipem expects to sign a deal to sell the group's onshore drilling business by the end of the month. ($1 = 0.9454 euros) (Reporting by Federico Maccioni, editing by Agnieszka Flak)