Michael Dell, the chief executive and founder of the world's No. 3 PC
maker, is negotiating taking Dell Inc private together with his partners
at $13 to $14 per share, two people familiar with the matter said on
Friday.
A deal could come as early as Monday, people familiar with the
matter told Reuters earlier on Friday, cautioning that talks were
ongoing and that the timetable could slip.
Michael Dell is
expected to take majority ownership of the Round Rock, Texas-based
company, while private equity firm Silver Lake and giant software
company Microsoft Corp would become minority investors, the people said.
Dell did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Silver Lake and Microsoft declined to comment.
The
deal would mark the largest leveraged buyout since the global financial
crisis. Going private would allow Dell, which has been trying to become
a one-stop shop for corporate technology needs as the PC market
shrinks, to carry out a challenging makeover away from public scrutiny.
© Thomson Reuters 2013