After Lenovo moved to quash talk started in part by its own executives that the world’s No. 2 PC maker might buy BlackBerry, new reports erupted Friday that NEC’s mobile phone business now is a target.

News reports out of Japan and also from Reuters say Lenovo is in discussions to acquire NEC’s mobile phone business.

The companies certainly are not strangers to each other. They launched a joint venture targeting personal computers two years ago, creating the largest PC operation in Japan.

So far, Lenovo isn’t talking.

NEC did issue a statement that was short on specifics. 

“Amid the rapidly changing market we are considering a number of ways to bolster the competitiveness of our mobile phone business, but nothing has been decided,” NEC said in a statement that was provided through the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

However, a source did confirm to Reuters that talks are indeed underway.

Lenovo is building its own smartphones and is growing rapidly in its primary market, China, while rolling out sales in Russia and other countries on a slow but consistent basis.

Lenovo executives have said there are no immediate plans to sell phones in the U.S. until it can achieve more “scale” in the market.

A deal for BlackBerry could have provided such scale in the U.S., where Lenovo operates its global executive headquarters in Morrisville.

A deal with NEC would not only provide Lenovo a larger global footprint but additional manufacturing capabilities and products.

Lenovo Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yang Yuanqing is banking the company’s future on providing devices from smartphones to tablets to PCs and smart televisions that all link to the Internet.

Asahi Shimbun in Tokyo first reported the possible deal, saying talks have been underway since sometime in 2012.

NEC’s phone business is known as NEC Casio Mobile Communications, the result of a merger of business units with Casio Computer and Hitachi.

According to the Japan newspaper, NEC already is looking into shutting down a phone production plant as early as next year. The unit has been losing money.