French Stocks - Factors to watch on Oct 24

PARIS, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The following French stocks may be affected by newspaper reports and other factors on Thursday:

VIVENDI UNIVERSAL

The media giant is in negotiations with its bankers on an unusual off-balance sheet loan, which would allow it to foil Vodafone's bid for Cegetel and gain control of the prized French mobile operator, banking sources said.

This would allow Vivendi, which is reluctant to cede control of cash-cow Cegetel to Vodafone, to ...