DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Riyad Bank has picked Goldman Sachs to advise on its merger talks with National Commercial Bank, two sources familiar with the matter said.

NCB, the kingdom's biggest lender by assets, and Riyad Bank have begun preliminary merger discussions, the two banks said in December in a deal that could potentially create a combined bank holding $183 billion in assets.

Riyad Bank did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Goldman Sachs declined to comment.

(Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh; additonal reporting by Tom Arnold; Writing by Saeed Azhar; editing by Louise Heavens)

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