Dell near US$23b mega-deal to take company private: report

THE BUSINESS TIMES [05/02/13]

The final price the group is expected to pay Dell shareholders could not be immediately learned. The deal would mark the largest leveraged buyout since the global financial crisis - PHOTO: REUTERS [SOURCE: http://www.businesstimes.com.sg]

WASHINGTON - Dell is near sealing a US$23-billion-dollar megadeal to take private the cash-rich but struggling computer giant as its retools for the post-PC era, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

"Late Monday, Mr. (Michael) Dell was in talks with Microsoft Corp. and private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners to offer shareholders between US$13.50 and US$13.75 a share, said people familiar with the matter, about a 25 per cent premium to Dell's stock price in January before the possibility of a deal became public," the Journal reported.

"The buyout, if approved by shareholders, would be the largest such deal since the financial crisis," it added.

Dell has not commented on reports circulating in recent weeks which said the popular computer maker, which has slipped from its number one position and has struggled amid a shift to mobile devices, was preparing to go private.

[Link to the source: newsnow.co.uk]