April 11 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers,

acquisitions and disposals were reported by 0930 GMT on

Thursday:

** Blackstone and CVC are among a list of potential

bidders for European festivals organiser Superstruct

Entertainment, several sources with knowledge of the situation

told Reuters.

** Societe Generale has agreed to sell a

professional equipment financing business to French rival BPCE

for 1.1 billion euros ($1.18 billion) as part of a wider

divestment strategy, lifting its shares by more than 3%.

** Novartis said that its tender offer for

MorphoSys has begun, with an offer price of 68 euros ($73.08)

per share in cash, corresponding to a premium of 142% on the

volume-weighted average price during the last three months.

** Rhone Energies, a consortium of commodity trader

Trafigura and Entara LLC, is in exclusive negotiations with

Exxon Mobil's ESSO SAF to acquire the Fos-sur-Mer

refinery in southern France and the Toulouse and Villette de

Vienne terminals.

** European self-storage company Shurgard has

agreed to buy UK-listed rival Lok'nStore in an all-cash

deal worth 378 million pounds ($474 million) to expand in

markets beyond London, the companies said in a joint statement.

** The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an in-depth

antitrust investigation into Nippon Steel's ( NISTF ) $14.1

billion takeover of U.S. Steel, the Politico reported on

Wednesday citing two people with direct knowledge of the matter.

** Vertex Pharmaceuticals ( VRTX ) will buy Alpine Immune

Sciences ( ALPN ) for about $4.9 billion in cash, gaining access

to the biotech firm's treatment for an autoimmune disease of the

kidney, the companies said on Wednesday.

(Compiled by Rajarshi Roy and Anuja Bharat Mistry in Bengaluru)