Yahoo! Inc. is in talks with News Corp. in an effort to stave off a takeover bid from Microsoft Corp. though chances of such a deal going through are slim. The deal under discussion would have Yahoo! exchanging at least a 20 percent in the company for MySpace, News Corp.'s popular social networking site, an a handful of other online properties. In addition, Yahoo! has approached other companies, including AOL, though chances of those deals going forward remain remote. News of the talks between Yahoo! and News Corp. sent News Corp.'s stock lower indicating investors' displeasure with the proposed deal. Though chances of a successful deal with News Corp. remain slim, Yahoo! may be attempting to spur Microsoft to raise its bid. Large holders of Yahoo! stock indicated that a deal was likely, though at a higher price. Microsoft has the financial resources to increase its offering price. Yahoo! and News Corp. have been in talks previously, though the companies could not agree on a valuation for MySpace. A Yahoo!, News Corp. deal would allow News Corp. to sell advertising across Yahoo!'s inventory, and the high profile deal might give News Corp.'s other consumer properties, including Rotten Tomatoes, a boost. Other talks between Yahoo! and Google Inc., which would see Yahoo! outsourcing its search advertising business to Google for the majority of revenue fizzled in recent days over concerns at Google over the likelihood of attracting the interest of anti-trust regulators. Some Yahoo! shareholders have also indicated their preference for a Microsoft takeover over the Google plan.