Microsoft said to have approached Pinterest recently over potential deal

Microsoft reportedly approached Pinterest in recent months about a potential $51bn acquisition of the image-sharing and social media company.

According to the Financial Times, talks between the two are not currently active.

Last year, Microsoft tried to buy the US operations of TikTok - owned by China's ByteDance - after then US president Donald Trump said it would need to sell its US business or face a ban over concerns about national security. But, TikTok rejected Microsoft’s bid in favour of a deal with rival Oracle.

In recent years, Microsoft has bought LinkedIn, Minecraft and GitHub. However, Pinterest has signalled in the past that it wants to remain an independent company.