Google and Comcast are reportedly in talks over a possible joint purchase of a portion of the AOL business, several media outlets reported late Wednesday. According to at least one source, the value of the deal could be worth as much as $5 billion.

The search giant apparently approached Comcast last week about a joint deal. Discussions were ongoing throughout the summer between the three companies, but were very preliminary.

The talks seem to be revolving around a purchase of the AOL.com portal, as well as solidifying Google's position as the default search engine for the AOL service. The deal could also be an attempt by Google to spoil talks currently underway between Microsoft's MSN division and AOL over MSN's search technologies.

Read on about the Google - Comcast attempt to buy the AOL portal and its consequences on Google Adwords at http://www.betanews.com/article/Google_Comcast_to_Bid_for_AOL_Portal/1129214089.