A report in the Wall Street Journal saying that the MGM Mirage has hired investment firm Morgan Stanley to handle the potential sales of two of its properties, MGM Grand Detroit and the Beau Rivage casino in Biloxi, Miss., is the latest speculation surrounding the MGM’s financial scramble to complete the $8.9 billion CityCenter project.  

According to the report, the potential sale of the two properties could yield as much as $2 billion.  

Last week, MGM MIRAGE provided $200 million of funding to CityCenter to satisfy the required sponsor equity contributions due on or about March 24, 2009. The funding included $100 million that the company said should have been funded by partner Dubai World. The $200 million payment allowed construction to continue while MGM MIRAGE seeks additional funding. The remaining combined equity contributions necessary to access the CityCenter credit facility are approximately $800 million, the company said.

Meanwhile, the WSJ, in a separate report, named two additional potential investors in the CityCenter project as James Packer of Australian casino operator Crown Ltd. and Los Angeles investment firm Colony Capital LLC.