The last we visited the report that Audi was looking into acquiring Ducati, it was a well-churned rumor. It's now being reported, according to Reuters (via Automotive News), that Audi has finished due diligence on the deal and will report its purchase as early as next week, before the automaker's annual shareholders meeting in Hamburg, Germany, on April 18.

Investindustrial, Ducati's main shareholder, agreed to speak with Audi exclusively, according to the report. That agreement would terminate on April 15, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, after which point the firm would be free to entertain other suitors. Ironically, it was Investindustrial that trumped Audi's attempt to purchase Ducati back in 2005 when it was owned by Texas Pacific Group.

Neither of the two unnamed internal sources who spurred today's report would comment on purchase price, though a price tag of $1.1 billion -- including about $850 million in acquired debt -- was attached to the earlier rumors.

Ducati's expertise in powerful, lightweight engines could be a boon to Audi's parent company, Volkswagen Group, whose engineering portfolio includes everything from cars to ship engines.