With the Nippon Steel purchase of U. S. Steel scuttled by presidential decree, might Cleveland-Cliffs join forces with Nucor to make an offer? Cleveland-Cliffs could target the integrated mills, and Nucor could take ownership of Big River Steel, an electric arc furnace in Arkansas .Nordroden/iStock/Getty Images Plus

The move by Cleveland-Cliffs comes after the Biden administration blocked the U.S. Steel-Nippon tie-up on national security grounds.

Cleveland-Cliffs is discussing joining with Nucor on a possible bid for U.S. Steel that is still likely months away from happening, according to people familiar with the matter. U.S. Steel had planned to sell itself to Japanese steelmaker Nippon Steel,

Cliffs would purchase all of U.S. Steel for all cash and then sell off the Big River Steel subsidiary to Nucor, sources told CNBC's David Faber. U.S. Steel's headquarters would remain in Pittsburgh under the deal.

Appealing to Donald Trump's penchant for business dealmaking could provide a lifeline for Nippon Steel Corp.'s seemingly doomed $14.1

The company’s renewed interest comes after the Biden administration blocked Nippon Steel from acquiring the onetime American powerhouse.

Nippon's offer to buy USS was $14 billion while, according to Cliff CEO Lourenco Goncalves, Cliffs' final bid was $13.8 billion. Before Biden killed the Nippon deal, a bipartisan group, including incoming President Donald Trump, also opposed the deal.

Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves’ nearly two-hour news conference Monday afternoon was called to mark five years since he acquired Butler Works and the rest of AK Steel, taking what was a sprawling steelmaking plant on the brink of closure and giving it life well into the future.

The onetime dynamo is fighting to revive a takeover by Nippon Steel. Other tie-ups could also face obstacles, and going it alone could force cutbacks.

Lourenco Goncalves, the CEO of Ohio-based steelmaker Cleveland Cliffs, said in a news conference Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, that he wanted to make a new bid for U.S. Steel, which accepted the buyout offer from Nippon in 2023 after it rejected an offer by Cleveland-Cliffs.

Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. is partnering with Nucor Corp. to weigh a potential joint bid for United States Steel Corp., according to a person familiar with the matter. Cliffs’ top boss later confirmed his interest in the American steelmaker at a press event.

U.S. Steel ( X 0.41%) has been in the news for months since Japan's Nippon Steel made a generous offer for the iconic American steelmaker. Nippon's $14.9 billion bid in late 2023 represented a nearly 40% premium to U.S. Steel's share price at the time.