GameStop's pursuit of eBay has stretched into its third month, and the video game retailer shows no sign of walking away, even as the e-commerce giant continues to reject its advances. The saga, one of the more unusual corporate takeover attempts in recent memory, has left investors and analysts split on whether a deal will ever materialize.

GameStop Chief Executive Ryan Cohen submitted a non-binding proposal to eBay's board on May 3, offering $125 per share in a cash-and-stock deal that valued the online marketplace at roughly $55.5 billion. The offer represented a 46% premium to eBay's closing price on February 4, the day GameStop began quietly building its stake in the company. GameStop disclosed it had accumulated a 5% economic interest in eBay through a combination of derivatives and direct stock ownership ahead of making the offer public.

The proposed structure called for the deal to be split evenly between cash and GameStop common stock, with eBay shareholders given the ability to choose which form of consideration they wanted to receive. Cohen pointed to GameStop's roughly $9.4 billion in cash reserves and said he had secured a commitment letter from TD Securities for up to $20 billion in additional debt financing.

eBay's board rejected the proposal on May 12, calling it "neither credible nor attractive" in a letter signed by board chairman Paul Pressler. The company cited its ongoing turnaround under CEO Jamie Iannone, which has........

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