Dell bids for fallen Exanet

PC giant on the brink of buying liquidated storage firm for a reported $12m

Tempting offer: Dell's bid is now subject to approval in the Israeli courts

PC giant Dell is looking to acquire fallen clustered storage vendor Exanet for a fee rumoured to be in the region of $12m (£7.7m).

The Israel-based start-up fell into liquidation in December and speculation has suggested for several weeks that Dell would look to swoop. Yesterday, Israeli news site Globes reported that a $12m deal had been agreed.

Dell has since confirmed that it has submitted a bid for Exanet's assets and intellectual property. But the PC vendor stressed that the deal is still subject to approval in Israel's courts.

The $12m price appears to represent a bargain for Dell. The venture capital-backed storage firm has received about $70m in funding in its 10-year history. Headquartered in Ra'anana in Israel's Central District, Exanet also has offices in the US, Japan, France, Germany and the UK.