Microsoft is working on a fresh bid to acquire internet giant Yahoo Inc and may rope in private equity firm Silver Lake Partners and a Canadian pension board to partly fund the takeover, the Wall Street Journal has said.
Under the proposal, Microsoft would put up several billion dollars, while additional funding would be sought from the banks and its buyout partners such as Silver Lake and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.
Yahoo had in 2008 rebuffed a $44.6 billion takeover bid by Microsoft.
"Private-equity firm Silver Lake Partners is working with one of its investors, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and software giant Microsoft Corp to put together a proposal to buy Yahoo Inc," the WSJ reportsaid citing a source.
Chinese internet company Alibaba Group's head Jack Ma was also recently reported to have said he was interested in buying Yahoo.
Yahoo's board recently fired chief executive Carol Bartz after she failed to increase the company's market share. Still, it has been attracting a lot of attention and as many as nine suitors are said to be wooing it.