Staples just can't quit Office Depot (NASDAQ: ODP). Time and time again, the office supplies giant has tried to buy its rival and failed, often because the government prevented it over antitrust concerns, but more recently because Office Depot itself said no. Now USR Parent, which is Staples' retail office-supply business, says it is thinking about buying certain Office Depot assets, and Office Depot actually says it's not opposed to the idea. Image source: Getty Images. Staples' attempts to buy Office Depot extend back to 1997 when the Justice Department first rejected a $4 billion combination of their retail operations for fear it would limit competition. They attempted a merger again in 2015, this time for $6.3 billion, but that also was shot down by regulators over antitrust concerns. Staples was eventually taken private by private equity firm Sycamore Partners, and this past January, the company -- renamed as USR Parent -- offered to buy Office Depot again for $2 billion. This time, however, Office Depot rejected the bid, saying it would invite antitrust scrutiny again. But it left open the possibility of selling parts of its business if Staples wanted to combine their retail and e-commerce operation. It was that overture from Office Depot that Staples was responding to today when it announced it was mulling over making an offer for "ODP's retail and consumer facing business, its business operations in Canada and certain other assets." Staples noted it hasn't given up on buying the whole company, but was also willing to buy bits and pieces of its rival. For that reason, its planned tender offer for Office Depot shares was being deferred, though it reserved the right to commence a new offer in the future. 10 stocks we like better than Office DepotWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the ten best stocks for investors to buy right now... and Office Depot wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of February 24, 2021 Rich Duprey has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.Source