Canadian regulators may have squashed Lenovo's plans to acquire BlackBerry last year but apparently they're not giving up the fight just yet. The Chinese company is preparing to make a public bid for the Canadian handset maker as soon as this week according to a report from financial news site Benzinga.com.
Unnamed sources reportedly told the publication that Lenovo is gearing up to offer BlackBerry $15 per share - a nice premium over the $9 or so the stock has been trading at as of late. Should BlackBerry turn down the initial offer, sources say Lenovo would be willing to increase its offer to $18 per share.
Spokespeople for both BlackBerry and Lenovo declined to comment on the matter.
News of an acquisition first made headlines well over a year ago when a couple of Lenovo executives expressed interest in a deal. The company backtracked shortly after, claiming that reports were taken out of context.
Many believe that a deal between the two was certainly on the tablet. The problem, however, is that the Canadian government wouldn't have given its approval due to national security concerns. The handset maker still has a decent following among those in the government and with enterprise clients, adding a bit of credibility to the claim.
If regulators wouldn't have approved a deal then, it's hard to imagine why they'd allow for an acquisition now.