Japan’s Nippon expected to close acquisition of U.S. Steel at $55 per share, sources say

Japan’s Nippon Steel is expected to acquire U.S. Steel for $55 per share, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC’s David Faber.

President Donald Trump cleared Nippon’s bid for U.S. Steel on Friday, referring to the deal as a “partnership.” Trump said Nippon will invest $14 billion of investment over the next 14 months. U.S. Steel’s headquarters will remain in Pittsburgh, the president said.

U.S. Steel shares were up more than 1% on Tuesday.

President Joe Biden had blocked Nippon’s bid for U.S. Steel on national security grounds, arguing that the deal will potentially jeopardize critical supply chains. But Trump ordered a new review of the proposed acquisition in April, despite his previous opposition to Nippon acquiring U.S. Steel.

Trump told reporters on Sunday that the deal is an “investment, it’s a partial ownership, but it will be controlled by the USA.” Pennsylvania Senator Dave McCormick told CNBC on Tuesday that U.S. Steel will have an American CEO and a majority of its board members will be from the U.S.

“It’s a national security agreement that will be signed with the U.S. government,” McCormick told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “There’ll be a golden share that will essentially require U.S. government approval of a number of the board members and that will allow the United States to ensure production levels aren’t cut.”

The $14 billion that Nippon will invest includes $2.4 billion that will go to U.S. Steel’s operations at Mon Valley outside Pittsburgh, McCormick said. The deal will save 10,000 jobs in Pennsylvania and add another 10,000 jobs in the building trades to add another arc furnace, the senator said.

When asked what Nippon gets from the deal, McCormick said “they will certainly have members of the board and this will be part of their overall corporate structure.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.