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Carl Icahn, Jefferies nab $5.2B to finance Dell deal -- report

The activist investor signs up banks and institutional investors to help him finance his bid to buy Dell, according to a report from Reuters.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
Don Reisinger
Dell headquarters in Round Rock, Texas.
Dell headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. Dell

Activist investor Carl Icahn, along with his partner Jefferies & Co., have secured billions in financing for their Dell bid, a new report claims.

The investors have secured $5.2 billion in loans from several banks and institutional investors, Reuters is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the deals. Those funds will help Icahn and company finance their Dell buyout proposal.

According to Reuters' sources, the $5.2 billion includes a 6-year loan worth $2.2 billion, as well as a 3.5-year loan for $3 billion. The sum is part of a much broader plan on Icahn's part to essentially take control over the company and provide an alternative to Michael Dell's $24.4 billion buyout deal that would take his company private.

In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing last month, Dell argued that Icahn "has failed to provide any of the key provisions and mechanics" of his deal, and had yet to secure committed financing for his proposals. If Icahn has indeed secured the $5.2 billion, he might be closer to satisfying some of the Dell board's concerns.

Meanwhile, Icahn has slowly started taking more control over Dell. Last month, he acquired 72 million Dell shares, making him the second-largest Dell shareholder.