The New York Times has reported that the Skype founders - who had, in 2005, struck a $2.6 billion sale agreement with the currently very-popular web telephone service to the online auction bigwig eBay - are keen on buying back the company.

Skype – the brainchild of Sweden’s Niklas Zennstrom and Denmark’s Janus Friis – was founded in 2003, and sold to eBay two years later. The Internet telephone service company, which posted a $550 million revenue in 2008, was acquired by eBay as its ex-CEO Meg Whitman projected that Skype could find enough users in eBay’s auction sellers and buyers.

However, the present eBay CEO, John Donahoe, affirmed that Skype has no synergies with the rest of eBay. Donahoe also added that the company would keep the best interests of both eBay and Skype in mind while taking any decision whatsoever.

Though the Times reported that Donahoe has “repeatedly signaled his willingness to sell Skype for the right price,” the daily did not specify whether the Skype co-founders have been involved in direct negotiations with the auction house.

With reports that eBay might just look to sell Skype for a minimum $1.7 billion, the co-founders of the service are said to be making attempts to raise 41 billion from private equity firms in order to repossess the company!