TotalFinaElf, the French oil company, may turn to the debt markets for funding if it launches a bid for Conoco to block the US firm's planned $35bn (€39.1bn) merger with Phillips Petroleum.
TotalFinaElf has declined to comment on reports that it is mulling a bid for Conoco, which announced its intention to merge with Phillips last November. The merged Conoco/Phillips group would become the sixth largest energy firm in the world.