Softbank Group Corp. (SFTBY) CEO said Monday that Sprint (S) - Get Report is nearing deal.

Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son said Monday during the company's first quarter earnings call that he "expects to be able to decide on an integration partner for Sprint in the near future."

This comes after Bloomberg reported earlier on Monday that Sprint is said to have resumed preliminary talks about a merger with Deutsche Telekom-owned T-Mobile US Inc. (TMUS) - Get Report , Bloomberg reported Monday, citing people familiar with the matter, as Sprint attempts to deal with increased competition in the U.S. wireless market.

Softbank's Sprint reportedly started talks after its exclusive negotiating period with Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) - Get Report and Charter Communications (CHTR) - Get Report expired at the end of July, the sources said.

T-Mobile shares were up 0.74% in premarket trading Monday, after closing at $64.52 on Friday.

Sprint's shares closed 1.81% higher on Friday at $8.70. Shares have lost 1.81% over the past three months.

Softbank took control of Sprint in 2013. Softbank shares gained in afternoon trading in Tokyo Monday, after it unveiled better-than-expected earnings for the three months ended in June.

Softbank reported operating profit of ¥479.3 billion ($4.3 billion) for the first quarter, beating analysts projection of ¥323.7 billion. Sales came in at ¥2.19 trillion.

Sprint was one of the company's bright spots, with revenue up 4% to ¥910 billion in the first quarter.

Son said he is also interested in investing in Uber or Lyft to gain a share in the U.S. ride-sharing market.

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