Business networking site LinkedIn is reportedly leading the way to acquire news reading app Pulse, reports All Things Digital.

Sources said that San-Francisco based Pulse is in talks to be acquired by a major platform company, with Microsoft and Yahoo also said to be interested in the start-up.

However, LinkedIn is thought to be the favourite, with the sources saying a deal is nearly complete and could be announced this week.

The Pulse app allows users to read content from various online sources and has around 20 million users reading 10 million stories per day.

According to the report, the acquisition makes sense for LinkedIn as it tries to bolster content available on its service.

Pulse is available for iPhone, iPad, Android and the web, with well-known content providers appearing on the service. The app has recently added integration with Instagram, Flickr, YouTube and Tumblr.

In terms of funding, Pulse has raised almost $10 million from Redpoint Ventures, Greycroft Partners, Mayfield Fund, Lightspeed Investment Partners, New Enterprise Associates and Lerer Ventures.