RDG Capital, a US hedge fund managed by a former protégé of activist investor Carl Icahn, is interested in buying Atmel for $2.7bn (€3.5bn), despite being rebuffed by the US technology company.

Russell Glass, managing member of RDG Capital, was president and chief investment officer of Icahn Associates between 1998 and 2002. He is still on the board of several Icahn affiliates and the holding company that owns the San Diego Chargers, an American football team.