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Christie’s International, the British company whose auction house has had a banner year of art auctions, is considering an offer from a group of outside investors to buy the business for about $820 million. The investment bank SBC Warburg Dillon Read confirmed in a statement that a “preliminary approach” had been made to Christie’s on behalf of a private group it would not identify. . . . Bethlehem Steel Corp., the nation’s second-largest steel company, said it agreed to acquire rival steel maker Lukens Inc. for $650 million, including $250 million of assumed debt. . . . Andrew Bressman, president and chief executive of the now defunct A.R. Baron & Co. investment firm, pleaded guilty to grand larceny and corruption. In May, Bressman and 13 other company executives were charged in a 174-count indictment with stealing $75 million from investors by inducing them to purchase certain securities, manipulating markets and making unauthorized trades. In a plea agreement that has been sealed, Bressman pleaded guilty in a New York court to charges of grand larceny and enterprise corruption. He faces a maximum of 25 years in jail. . . . Astra Merck Inc. said it formed an alliance with Procter & Gamble Co. to develop an over-the-counter version of its ulcer drug Prilosec in a move to meet generic competition when the drug’s patents run out. With $3.7 billion in annual sales, Prilosec is the world’s top-selling prescription drug.