VentureBeat has joined the LinkedIn rumor mill. The tech blog is reporting that its "well-placed source" has confirmed that News Corp. is in "serious" talks to buy the social network geared to professionals.

The rumor surfaced late last week when TechCrunch reported that News Corp. boss Rupert Murdoch had taken a fancy to LinkedIn. But that story quickly unraveled, with a report in The Telegraph quoting LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, who denied the rumors. Hoffman then sent a cryptic email to TechCrunch denying the rumor but leaving open the possibility that it may be true at a later date. Since then, the industry has been wondering whether LinkedIn is really for sale.

According to the VentureBeat story, Murdoch is eager to purchase LinkedIn so that he can integrate with The Wall Street Journal.