Dell faces MBO obstacles as investors balk and rivals circle

Reports suggest eponymous leader may have a fight on his hands to regain control of vendor

Obstacles continue to mount for Michael Dell in his quest to retake control of the firm that bears his name. Reports suggest big investors are still seeking to derail the deal, while rivals HP and Lenovo are rumoured to be considering a buyout.

Dell's agreement to go back into private ownership was announced a month ago, which began a so-called 45-day "go-shop" period for management consultancy Evercore Partners to seek out any competitive bids.

Bloomberg reports that HP and Lenovo are among those sniffing around a potential deal for their Texan rival. But it is suggested that the pair are only using the go-shop period as a chance to gain insight into data that would otherwise be confidential and are unlikely to table a bid.

Meanwhile, leading investors also appear to have their doubts about the deal. Southeastern Asset Management, which controls eight per cent of Dell, is understood to be lukewarm on the MBO and has demanded to take a closer look at the vendor's books.

CNBC today reports that renowned activist investor Carl Icahn has grown his stake in the PC maker to about six per cent in the past couple of weeks. The US news suggests Icahn wants to urge the Dell board to pursue a leveraged recapitalisation of the company, rather than Michael Dell and Silver Lake's leveraged buyout offer.

The $24.4bn (£15.5bn) deal announced last month equated to a 37 per cent premium on Dell's share price over the preceding 90 days. But its stock has since risen some way past the $13.65 per share proffered by Michael Dell and his backers.