NEW YORK (Reuters) – Japanese mobile operator Softbank Corp (9984.T: Quote, Profile, Research) is near a deal to acquire control of U.S. carrier Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research), a source familiar with the matter said, in a $20 billion transaction that will give Sprint ammunition to shore up its balance sheet and potentially acquire peers.

The deal, which could come as soon as Monday, is expected to be structured in two parts: Softbank will provide about $8 billion of new capital and acquire an additional $12 billion shares from Sprint holders, the source said. In total, it would buy a 70 percent stake in the company.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Japanese mobile operator Softbank Corp (9984.T: Quote, Profile, Research) is near a deal to acquire control of U.S. carrier Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research), a source familiar with the matter said, in a $20 billion (12 billion pounds) transaction that will give Sprint ammunition to shore up its balance sheet and potentially acquire peers.

The deal, which could come as soon as Monday, is expected to be structured in two parts: Softbank will provide about $8 billion of new capital and acquire an additional $12 billion shares from Sprint holders, the source said. In total, it would buy a 70 percent stake in the company.

NEW YORK, Oct 14 (Reuters) – Japanese mobile operator
Softbank Corp is near a deal to acquire control of U.S.
carrier Sprint Nextel Corp, a source familiar with the
matter said, in a $20 billion transaction that will give Sprint
ammunition to shore up its balance sheet and potentially acquire
peers.

The deal, which could come as soon as Monday, is expected to
be structured in two parts: Softbank will provide about $8
billion of new capital and acquire an additional $12 billion
shares from Sprint holders, the source said. In total, it would
buy a 70 percent stake in the company.

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK – (Reuters) – Oracle Corp’s Larry Ellison, known for his taste for the finer things in life, is now intrigued by a multibillion dollar sports and entertainment empire.

Ellison, who recently bought a Hawaiian island, is interested in a potential bid for Anschutz Entertainment Group, owned by fellow billionaire Phil Anschutz, according to two people with knowledge of the situation.

LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK – Oct 11 (Reuters) – Oracle Corp’s
(ORCL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Larry Ellison, known for his taste for the finer things
in life, is now intrigued by a multibillion dollar sports and
entertainment empire.

Ellison, who recently bought a Hawaiian island, is
interested in a potential bid for Anschutz Entertainment Group,
owned by fellow billionaire Phil Anschutz, according to two
people with knowledge of the situation.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – McGraw-Hill Companies Inc’s (MHP.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) education unit is expected to draw final bids from private equity firms Bain Capital and Apollo Global Management (APO.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) as well as rival Cengage Learning Inc, in a deal that could fetch around $3 billion, several people familiar with the matter said.

Cengage, the No. 2 U.S. college textbook publisher, and the two private equity firms are working on final offers for McGraw-Hill Education, the world’s second-largest education company by sales, with the bids due later in October, the people said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Billionaire Phil Anschutz has kicked off the auction of his Anschutz Entertainment Group, with an expectation that the sports and entertainment giant should draw bids in the $10 billion range, higher than previously believed, according to sources familiar with the situation.

The initial, 25-page AEG information memorandum that describes the business but has no financial information was expected to go to “dozens” of potential buyers on Monday, the sources said. The initial group of recipients is expected to include rich individuals, rivals, sovereign wealth funds, real estate firms, and private equity firms, they said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Sprint Nextel Corp (S.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is considering making a rival bid for MetroPCS Communications Inc (PCS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), which agreed on Wednesday to a merger with Deutsche Telekom AG’s (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) T-Mobile USA, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Sprint is deciding whether to go public with a bid for MetroPCS, or to wait until the T-Mobile USA-MetroPCS deal is complete and then bid for the combined company, one of the sources said on Thursday.

FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) is in talks to merge its T-Mobile USA unit with MetroPCS (PCS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and take a majority stake in the combined wireless service provider, the German company said on Tuesday.

Deutsche Telekom, which has been looking for a way to bolster its customer-losing U.S. business, cautioned in a regulatory filing that the transaction was not a done deal because key issues had not yet been finalised.

FRANKFURT/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday it is in talks to combine its T-Mobile USA unit with MetroPCS (PCS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and take a majority stake in the combined wireless service provider.

However the German company, which has been looking for a way to bolster its customer-losing U.S. business, said that “the conclusion of the transaction is still not certain” as key issues have not yet been finalized in its talks with MetroPCS.