Did Google Just Buy Groupon for $2.5 Billion?

Emerging tech site VatorNews has an unconfirmed report this morning that the search giant bought deal-of-the-day site Groupon for $2.5 billion. Neither Groupon nor Google have commented on the report at the time of this writing.

Groupon has been quite the hot topic these days. Earlier this month, Groupon was rumored to be considering raising funds that would value the company at $3 billion. That rumor was followed by reports that Yahoo was looking to woo Groupon for as much as $4 billion -- the second reported attempt by Yahoo to buy the social shopping company. Earlier this year, All Things D reported that Yahoo and Groupon were in discussions about a possible acquisition for $1.7 billion, but Groupon ultimately rebuffed the low-balled offer and backed out of the deal.

Founded in 2008, Groupon's revenues are said to be upward of $50 million a month, and an enormous round of fundraising in April raised Groupon's valuation to $1 billion. With 20 million subscribers and footholds in 29 countries across Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia, Groupon has inspired hundreds of clones, some of which have, in recent months, begun outpacing Groupon (think LivingSocial). 

Read the full story at VatorNews.