Microsoft to buy Nokia if Elop resigns in 2012?

Microsoft to buy Nokia if Elop resigns in 2012?
What we're really thinking is: why has Ballmer got a child's hand?

The rumour of Microsoft lining Nokia up for a buyout has reared its head again, with a number of tweets sparking off yet more speculation.

The editor and chief of Mobile Review, Eldar Murtazin, used Twitter to explain the Microsoft/Nokia 'will they, won't they?' situation and claimed that he knows just how the whole drama will play out.

Murtazin believes that Steve Ballmer, Andy Lees, Stephen Elop and Kai Ostamo will meet in Las Vegas during CES 2012 to finalise the agreement which involves bringing Nokia under the Microsoft banner in 2012 after Stephon Elop resigns from his post as CEO of the Finnish company.

All of this has, of course, been denied by Elop a number of times.

Nok on wood

Murtazin has a long and varied history with Nokia. Back in April, Nokia sent out a statement with regards to the journalist asking him to send back various prototypes he apparently had which belonged to Nokia.

The statement also insisted that the request had nothing to do with rumours that Nokia tried to close his website down after he criticised the company.

Since then Murtazin has repeatedly claimed that Elop will resign in 2012 and now his latest tweets corroborate this, along with claims this will coincide with the buyout of Nokia. This is similar to the claim by Danske Bank, which also believes that Nokia will be bought out in 2012.

It's all rumour and speculation at this point, but then again nobody really believes that Nokia's relationship with Microsoft is purely a platonic one. Do they?

Via Into Mobile

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.