• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, June 10, 2011

In a bold effort to corner the display ad marketplace, Google has reportedly acquired -- or is, at least, in late-stage takeover talks with -- ad optimization platform AdMeld for about $400 million.

"An acquisition in that multimillion-dollar range would mark Google's sixth-largest to date and aid the company's effort to take command of the market for online graphical and interactive ads," writes The Wall Street Journal. "AdMeld is one of a handful of big ad optimization platforms that work on behalf of publishers by trying to get the best prices for their inventory from a variety of ad networks," explains. All Things D. "That kind of work is one of the few parts of the ad tech ecosystem where Google didn't already have a presence."

"The acquisition ties in well to Google's DoubleClick operations, serving as a publisher-focused companion to the advertiser-oriented DoubleClick Ad Exchange," Search Engine Land suggests. "The company has also developed tools for managing mobile inventory, which will presumably assist Google with AdMob."

Still, "Like other recent Google purchases, this deal will automatically generate scrutiny from Washington before it can formally close," All Things D assured. "That's both because of the size of the deal ... and because the purchase deals with a sector that Google already dominates -- display ad sales."

Also of note, "This is a sweet comeback for [AdMeld] CEO Michael Barrett," according to TechCrunch. "Barrett was fired from News Corp. in 2008 when the division that owned MySpace failed to meet a $1 billion revenue target."

Sweet if and when the deal actually gets done. As The New York Times reports, "People briefed on the negotiations said the deal has not been completed and could still fall apart."