Blackstone has approached a number of firms, includingGE Capital, about financing for the deal, the second sourcefamiliar with the situation said. Dell shares closed Friday at$14.14. The firm could finance the deal by selling a piece of Dell'sbusiness, the source said. Any rival bid could use a "public equity stub," which givesexisting shareholders the option to keep a stake in the companyafter a buyout, a person familiar with the matter said earlierthis week. That person also told Reuters that the company had slashedits internal forecast for fiscal 2013 operating profit toapproximately $3 billion - down sharply from the $3.7 billion ithad predicted previously. The source added that more detailswill be illuminated in a proxy filing next week. Blackstone declined to comment while an Icahn representativedid not return calls or an email requesting comment. Dell alsodeclined to comment on the profit revision or the offers.