Japanese mobile operator Softbank and Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba are reportedly working with private equity firms Blackstone Group and Bain Capital to make a bid for US search engine company Yahoo.
A deal would value the company at approximately…
Japanese mobile operator Softbank and Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba are reportedly working with private equity firms Blackstone Group and Bain Capital to make a bid for US search engine company Yahoo.
A deal would value the company at approximately US$25bn, or US$20 per share, according to Reuters citing a source familiar with the matter.
The Japanese operator used to own a minority stake in Yahoo. But in late August, Softbank said it would sell almost all of its 4% interest in the search engine to Citibank to repay US$1.135bn in debt.
Softbank, along with Yahoo, is also a controlling shareholder in Alibaba.
Softbank, Blackstone, and Bain were reported as declining to comment, while Alibaba reportedly said that it has not decided yet whether to be part of a bid for Yahoo.
It is suggested that Yahoo, which has faced increasing competition from the likes of Google and Facebook in recent years, also received offers from other consortia, including one led by Microsoft and the other one by TPG Capital, according to media.