Goldman Sachs is on course to finish 2013 at the top of the mergers and acquisitions rankings in Europe for the third year running, laying claim to the number one spot in four of the region's six busiest markets.

Europe-targeted M&A volumes stand at $771.6 billion for 2013 to date, surpassing the $755.5 billion figure for the whole of 2012, according to preliminary data from Dealogic. Americas acquisitions into Europe, the Middle East and Africa reached $182.1 billion, up close to a third on 2012 and a record high.