Reports: Verizon Close To Sealing Deal For Yahoo's Internet Assets For $5 Billion

Telecom giant Verizon, for the past several months rumored to be a potential Yahoo suitor, may be getting ready to close the deal and acquire the web giant, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Verizon, Basking Ridge, N.J., and Yahoo reportedly are in pricing talks. Verizon could walk away with Yahoo's core internet business for close to $5 billion, according to a report by Bloomberg.

While speculation around which company would acquire Yahoo has been persistent since the internet company put itself up for sale months ago, Verizon has been considered to be one of the front-runners. According to The New York Times, final bids for Yahoo were due Monday. Verizon reportedly submitted a bid for Yahoo's internet business earlier this week.

[Related: Verizon To Give Some Unlimited Data Plan Customers The Boot]

Verizon declined to comment any acquisition plans when reached for comment by CRN.

Verizon's competitor, AT&T, also has been rumored to be interested in acquiring Yahoo, as were several private equity firms.

It is yet to be seen how -- or if -- the acquisition of Yahoo's internet assets will benefit Verizon's robust channel partner community.

One solution provider commenting under the condition of anonymity told CRN that the Yahoo acquisition would likely have very little impact on telecom agent partners because Verizon's acquisition of internet and media company AOL in 2015 had no impact on the channel.

The telecom provider bought AOL last year for $4.4 billion for its video, mobile and advertising strengths, Marni Walden, Verizon's president of product innovation and new businesses, said at the time of the acquisition.

Industry analysts say that Verizon’s AOL assets could work alongside Yahoo’s internet assets. Yahoo’s base of millions of users through a collection of websites that the provider owns, including Flickr, Tumblr and Yahoo Finance and Sports, could help Verizon go up against the likes of Google and Facebook in mobile advertising.

Verizon is scheduled to report its second-quarter 2016 earnings Tuesday.