The latest plot development in the Google-Yahoo-Microsoft soap opera sees Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer shutting the door on Yahoo boss Jerry Yang.

On Thursday, Google - prodded by the US Department of Justice -  jilted Yahoo, which had run into the search giant's arms to escape the takeover intentions of Microsoft earlier next year.

Friday, Jerry Wang said he was willing to get back in bed with Microsoft. The pair's on-again-off-again takeover talks have foundered in June as Mr Ballmer offered $US33 a share (a premium of around $US5), while Mr Yang held out for the high thirties.

At various times this year, Mr Ballmer has said he's lost patience, and all interest in Yahoo, only to come back to the table. And last week the Microsoft CEO sparked a surge in Yahoo shares when he mused that a deal would make "economic sense".

Playing hard to get
But this week, at least, Mr Ballmer is not about to be Yahoo's rebound guy.

""We made an offer, we made another offer, and it was clear that Yahoo didn't want to sell the business to us and we moved on," Mr Ballmer told a business lunch in Sydney on Friday.

"We are not interested in going back and re-looking at an acquisition. I don't know why they would be either, frankly. They turned us down at $33 a share." Yahoo shares are currently trading below $15, and analysts see $US20 as the upper limit to what Mr Ballmer would pay now. If, of course, he was interested.