Intel close to deal to buy Altera for $15 billion: source

(Reuters) - Intel Corp has resumed negotiations to buy smaller chip maker Altera Corp and is close to a $15 billion acquisition agreement, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The New York Post, which reported on the deal's status earlier, said the price for Altera could be $54 per share, a 15 percent premium over its Thursday closing price of $46.97. Altera shares were up 4.2 percent at $48.96 during Friday morning trading in New York.

The deal could be reached in the coming days, the source said, cautioning that no agreement was certain and asking not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Intel and Altera did not respond to requests for comment.

In April, Altera rejected an unsolicited $54 per share offer from Intel following months of negotiations, sources told Reuters at the time.

Intel signed a standstill agreement earlier this year with Altera that expires on June 1, giving the world's largest chipmaker the option to launch a hostile bid after that, Reuters reported in April.

Avago Technologies Ltd agreed on Thursday to buy Broadcom Corp for $37 billion, in the largest merger of chipmakers ever.

(Additional reporting by Subrat Patnaik and Rishika Sadam in Bangalore; Editing by David Gregorio)

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