SoftBank is among several possible buyers for newspaper publisher Tronc, the news site Axios reported Monday, citing "a source familiar with the situation."
The Toyko-based conglomerate, led by billionaire Masayoshi Son, controls Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint, among other properties.
Softbank also owns Fortress Investment Group, a private equity firm that owns newspaper chain GateHouse Media. That deal was completed in December.
GateHouse publishes more than 600 community newspapers, including 130 dailies, in 36 states. The chain owns more than 30 dailies in Missouri and Illinois.
Son, who was one of the first businessmen to meet with Donald Trump after the November 2016 election, pledged then to invest $50 billion in the United States and commit to creating 50,000 new jobs over an unspecified time period.
Tronc owns the Chicago Tribune, Baltimore Sun, Orlando Sentinel and other newspapers.
Tronc's sale of the Los Angeles Times to billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong is pending.
