The United States-based finance publication cited sources that claimed Microsoft has considered acquiring a stake in Yahoo, although such discussions are not active at the moment. Microsoft management was still open to a deal with Yahoo, however, according to the report.
Acquiring a stake in Yahoo would bolster Microsoft against increasing competition from search market leader Google.
Microsoft and Yahoo would not comment on the report.
Just last week, Microsoft told Wall Street it had US$2.4 billion to spend on improving its online services over the next 15 months.
Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer has previously told employees of the company's goal to create the Web's largest advertising network. Acquiring a stake in Yahoo could go some way towards achieving this.
