Rupert Murdoch is said to be interested in buying CNN – which, if true, could prove to be an interesting development given Mr Murdoch's reported close association with Donald Trump, who has repeatedly railed against the network.

The news comes after reports saying Mr Trump's administration may force AT&T to ditch the network to receive antitrust approval of its $85.4bn deal with Time Warner.

According to Reuters, Mr Murdoch called AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson twice in the last six months and talked about CNN.

One of the outlet's sources said Mr Murdoch offered to buy CNN in both conversations, while another source said the 86-year-old executive chairman of Twenty-First Century Fox had "zero interest" in owning the network.

It would not be the first time Mr Murdoch has expressed interest in taking over CNN.

In 2014, Twenty-First Century Fox proposed buying Time Warner for $80bn. But the company abandoned the plan in the face of Time Warner’s resistance, Reuters said.

If the companies had stuck a deal, Fox had planned to sell CNN - which competes directly with Fox News - to avoid antitrust issues.

Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Show all 14 1 /14 Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Riot police block protesters during a rally near the US embassy AFP/Getty Images Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Protesters shout slogans while displaying portraits of U.S. President Donald Trump and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte AP Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Activists clash with riot police EPA Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Protesters burn a banner of Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Protesters against Donald Trump's visit AP Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Protesters deface portraits of Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte AP Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Protesters clash with anti-riot police officers as they try to march towards the U.S. embassy REUTERS Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines A mural bearing the image of Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte is burnt REUTERS Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Activists march on a road leading to the US embassy during a protest in Manila EPA Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Protesters scuffle with riot police AFP/Getty Images Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Protesters shout anti-US slogans as they burn a banner featuring the image of US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Activists clash with riot police EPA Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Protesters display placards as they shout anti-US slogans AFP/Getty Images Protest in Manila against Donald Trump's visit to the Philippines Anti-riot police officers block protesters REUTERS

Over the past year, AT&T's proposed merger with mass media company Time Warner has received significant antitrust scrutiny.

When the telecommunications giant and Time Warner announced their deal last October, then-candidate Trump said his administration would never approve such a combination "because it's too much concentration of power in the hands of too few."

This week, news outlets reported that the Justice Department has recommended AT&T sell either its DirecTV unit or Time Warner’s Turner Broadcasting unit - which includes CNN - to gain antitrust approval of the merger.

The agency's reservations about approving the tie-up appear to stem from concerns about how competition could be harmed by the consolidation of AT&T's distribution platforms with Time Warner's wide range of content.