Reports say that Microsoft is considering Satya Nadella to step in as the company's new CEO after a months-long search. He has been near the top of the list of expected candidates to take Steve Ballmer's role, and now Bloomberg and other outlets report that he is likely the next to take the job. Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw declined to confirm or deny the reports, telling The Verge, "We are not commenting." Bloomberg's sources note that the decision has yet to be finalized, but he has "emerged as one of the stronger candidates" over the past few weeks. Dina Bass, the lead reporter on the Bloomberg article, says in a tweet: "Microsoft's board is preparing to name Satya Nadella CEO, sources tell us."

In addition, the report says that Microsoft's board is considering replacing founder Bill Gates as the company's chairman. Board member John Thompson is named as a possible replacement. Thompson recently revealed details about the company's CEO search, and he's said to have pushed Ballmer in the past to adapt more quickly to the competition.

As for the reported CEO replacement, Nadella is no stranger to Microsoft. He's been at the firm for over 20 years. He studied Electrical Engineering in India before he eventually moved to the states to study computer science. Before joining Microsoft, he worked at competitor Sun Microsystems until 1992. Once he arrived in Redmond, he worked on research at the company's online services division before rotating through a few different positions including working at times on Office and Bing. More recently, he's worked to realign Microsoft’s cloud services. Significantly, he has not been heavily involved with the company's consumer-facing products.

We're currently investigating these reports and will have more when we hear it. Ballmer first announced his plans to retire as CEO last August, setting off a search to find a replacement. No matter the final decision, we should find out soon: Kara Swisher's sources say that the choice could be announced sometime next week.

Update: The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal have weighed in with reports of their own both claiming that, while Nadella is said to be the preferred candidate, Microsoft's board is yet to make a final decision.