Britain’s Daily Mail tabloid may want Yahoo

The list of companies rumored to be interested in buying Yahoo’s core business includes giants of technology and telecommunications.

The company has been in contact with “a number of parties who are potential bidders,” wrote a DailyMail.com spokeswoman in an email to The Chronicle.

Analysts say the Daily Mail could join forces with a private equity firm to buy the troubled Sunnyvale search pioneer and may be interested in Yahoo to expand its U.S. presence.

Yahoo announced it was exploring a sale of its core business in January, and in February it set up a formal process for evaluating offers from companies.

[...] several analysts said they thought it was unlikely Google would buy Yahoo, especially since Google has already beaten Yahoo in the search business, and any attempted purchase could raise antitrust issues.

[...] even if Google doesn’t place a bid, analysts said it would still make sense for Google to take a look at Yahoo’s financials, as part of Google’s fiduciary duties to shareholders in exploring a deal.

“It’s very possible the Google (news) is to get people thinking that there is a bidding war to get the price up, but (Google) may not be really interested,” said Rob Enderle with advisory services firm Enderle Group.

Many equity analysts believe the most serious buyer for Yahoo is Verizon, which purchased AOL in a $4.4 billion deal last year.

Buying Yahoo would allow Verizon to use the Sunnyvale company’s search technology on AOL and other Verizon properties.

At their annual meeting this summer, shareholders will vote on a slate of board nominees put forward by hedge fund Starboard Value, which wants a sale.