Yahoo's actually giving serious thought to the AOL takeover, it appears. The New York Times reports that in an effort to delay Microsoft's move toward a proxy contest to accelerate the takeover, Yahoo is considering several options, including a plan to postpone its annual meeting, unnamed sources said on Tuesday:

"The delay could leave room for Microsoft to reach a negotiated, friendly deal with Yahoo, which would be made much more difficult if Microsoft decided it needed to pursue the proxy contest. On the other hand, Yahoo's continued maneuvering might just harden Microsoft's resolve."

The report said that Yahoo, which has been canvassing for other possible suitors and has held talks with the News Corporation and Google, appears to be focused on a possible transaction with AOL, people involved in the talks said.