Home Depot shares slipped on Thursday as plans to sell its wholesale supply unit to private equity hung in the balance amid doubts over the willingness of investment banks to fund the deal, even at a lower price.

Over the past few weeks, Home Depot, the second-largest US retailer, has been in talks with Bain Capital, Carlyle and Clayton Dubilier & Rice about a renegotiation of the $10.3bn all-cash deal, which was unveiled in June.