NEW DELHI - India's top gas importer Petronet LNG has been in talks with several companies including U.S.-based NextDecade LNG on deals for liquefied natural gas (LNG), said Vinod Kumar Mishra, Petronet's head of finance, on Thursday.

Mishra said Petronet is in the process of appointing a consultant to help guide the company to sign deals to buy LNG from overseas suppliers.

Petronet is also in talks with Tellurian Inc and Qatar Gas to buy stakes in their LNG assets.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma; Editing by Bernard Orr) ((mayank.bhardwaj@thomsonreuters.com; +91-11-4954 8030; Twitter: @MayankBhardwaj9; Reuters Messaging: mayank.bhardwaj.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))