Dec. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer wants to build a “credible competitor” to Google Inc. by buying Yahoo Inc.’s online search business, The Wall Street Journal reported in its Dec. 6-7 issue, citing an interview with the executive.

Ballmer said he would like to move fast. “I think good ideas are usually better done quickly than slowly,” Ballmer told the Journal during a joint interview with Qi Lu, former Yahoo search and advertising vice president hired as president of Microsoft’s Online Services Group.

While Carl Icahn, billionaire investor and Yahoo board member, is publicly calling for the deal to be done, the entire board hasn’t decided whether to pursue the strategy, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the issue.

The hiring of Lu may pave a way for negotiations to proceed, Ballmer told the Journal.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mina Kawai in New York at minkawai@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 6, 2008 15:10 EST