A source told Reuters that Dell Inc's special committee and CEO Michael Dell's buyout consortium might finally be nearing an agreement. This came after reports that the deal was nearing a collapse over the issue of voting standards. The source said that in addition to the buyout group's sweetened bid of USD 13.75 per share, a special dividend in the amount of 13 cents per share would also be included in exchange for a modification on the voting rules. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that only the shares of those who actually voted would be counted. This would repeal an earlier clause that counted abstentions as having voted "no."

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that any new agreement between the parties would most likely delay the voting by another month. The shareholders of the third largest PC maker in the world are set to convene this Friday to vote on Dell's proposal. Two earlier shareholder meetings to vote on the USD 24.4 billion proposal were adjourned.