• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, October 4, 2011

In a deal that would make Yahoo a truly multinational corporation, private-equity firm Silver Lake, China’s Alibaba Group, and Russia’s Digital Sky Technologies are reportedly considering a joint bid for the wandering Web portal.

“The group contacted Yahoo and its advisers in recent weeks to inform them of a possible offer,” Bloomberg reports, citing sources. “The discussions are still at an early stage and it’s not certain that the group will agree to make a bid.”

“Alibaba’s Jack Ma last week said he is ‘very, very interested’ in Yahoo, which recently told employees that it has received inquiries from multiple parties interested in various strategic options,” writes Forbes. 

“One major hurdle: The U.S. allowing a Chinese company to buy Yahoo,” Business Insider writes.

Indeed, Bloomberg notes that there could be serious opposition in Washington to a bid driven by Chinese and Russian interests for a U.S.-based communications platform.

Meanwhile, “With Mr. Ma’s apparent entrance, an increasingly crowded field has lined up to weigh bids for Yahoo,” reports The New York Times. “The private equity firm Silver Lake Partners, Microsoft, the News Corporation and other investors and strategic buyers are among the potential bidders.”

“One of the major motivations for Jack Ma to buy Yahoo is for him to increase his ownership of Alibaba,” Muzhi Li, an analyst at Mizuho Securities in Hong Kong, tells Bloomberg.

“While Yahoo is best known for its huge collection of Internet properties, most analysts and investors say the company’s most valuable assets lie in its 40 percent stake in Alibaba and its 35 percent stake in Yahoo’s Japan affiliate,” NYT adds.

Nearly needless to say, “Yahoo is reviewing its strategy to revive growth and attract more users after firing Chief Executive Officer Carol Bartz last month,” Bloomberg adds.

Writes Marketwatch.com: “With Yahoo’s firing of Bartz … and the maligned company’s board’s plans for a ‘comprehensive strategic review’ of its business options, there’s a sense that the game might finally be up for Yahoo, and that Ma is the only guy with the guts or wherewithal to make a move.”