Rumor mill: Cisco is crafting deal for Skype

Just as it prepares to go public, Skype could be finding itself in the hands of Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO), which according to a report in TechCrunch, is making a bid to acquire the VoIP service provider.

While neither company is talking, sources close to the matter believe Cisco has offered $5 billion for Skype--the estimated valuation of its upcoming IPO.

But Cisco isn't the only one interested in taking over Skype. Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) apparently wouldn't mind getting its hands on the VoIP company, but antitrust concerns prompted it to forgo putting in a bid.

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