A report from a Taiwanese news outlet called Commercial Times says Google is in the final stages of acquiring all or part of smartphone maker HTC.

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The news follows a separate story from late August that suggested Taiwan-based HTC was interested in some sort of sale.

HTC, once one of the more popular smartphone makers in the United States, has fallen off of most carrier store shelves after several consecutive unsuccessful smartphone launches. It recently launched a separate division that sells virtual reality headsets.

The report seems fishy, since Google has already been down this road, but there's a reason why Google might be interested in HTC.

The Taiwanese company builds the Google Pixel, which means it could be a good fit for Google as it continues to cater to consumers with its "Pixel" smartphone brand.

Here's where it sounds off base: Google acquired Motorola Mobility and then sold it off just a couple of years later. Why repeat that move?

Commercial Times said HTC's poor financial position and Google's desire to "perfect

UBS analyst Eric J. Sheridan explained in a note on Thursday why Google might want to push further into hardware.

Sheridan said a Google acquisition of HTC would be "immaterial to Alphabet" given its $95 billion cash stash.