(Yicai) July 8 -- TikTok owner ByteDance denied media reports that it has agreed to sell the short-video app's US business to an American buyers group led by Oracle.

Similarly unfounded rumors also circulated in April, the Beijing-based company told Yicai. Online reports said earlier today that ByteDance will sell TikTok to an Oracle-led consortium of US buyers and retain only a minority stake.

The US government initially demanded that ByteDance sell or divest TikTok by Jan. 19 due to national security concerns. Since then, US President Donald Trump has signed three executive orders delaying enforcement, which is now set for Sept. 17.

“We pretty much have a deal” on the app’s sale, Trump said on July 4, adding that talks with China on that would begin yesterday or today. He did not disclose the names of the potential buyers, but did note that the transaction may require China’s approval.

Bloomberg News reported, citing sources familiar with the matter, that the buyers group comprises Oracle, Blackstone Group, and Andreessen Horowitz, none of which has yet responded to media requests for comment.

Editor: Futura Costaglione