SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp
The newspaper reported on its All Things Digital Web site that Microsoft's bankers have put out "subtle signals" to Facebook, the social networking Web site, to see if it would be open to a full acquisition.
Facebook and Microsoft officials were not immediately available for comment.
In October, Microsoft took a $240 million stake in Facebook, which valued the start-up at $15 billion. Citing unnamed sources, the report said Facebook is still likely to pursue an initial public offering.
The news came a few days after Microsoft tabled its
unsolicited offer to buy Yahoo for $47.5 billion in an effort
to build an online advertising powerhouse to rival Google Inc.
(Reporting by Daisuke Wakabayashi; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
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