NXP Semiconductors (Nasdaq: NXPI) is looking for a sugar daddy, according to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. "The signals about an approach are now serious and are too strong to ignore," says the paper's source, an unnamed banker close to the situation.

The supposed suitors include global chip giants Broadcom (Nasdaq: BRCM), Intel (Nasdaq: INTC), and QUALCOMM (Nasdaq: QCOM). All of them could be looking for an easy entry point into NXP's very promising near field communication, or NFC, technologies.

NXP is a recognized leader in NFC chips, and the technology looks ready for the spotlight in 2011. Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) already convinced Samsung to bake NFC features into the Nexus S smartphone, which serves as a reference model for Gingerbread Android handsets. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is also jumping on the bandwagon, and NFC-based consumer payment services are rolling into real-world testing. NFC payments could make credit cards obsolete in the long run, which would be a very big deal. It's easy to see why chip shops of every stripe are champing at the bit.

But NXP's shares are reacting rather mildly to the Dutch report, rising only slightly in intraday trading. That's because a lot of investors already assume that the former Philips Electronics division will find a buyer at some point -- the stock has gained more than 160% since NFC suddenly became a hot topic back in December.

Twitter is abuzz with reports that NXP's CEO has denied any takeover talks taking place. It wouldn't be the first time nondisclosure agreements forced an executive to say one thing while meaning another, though. Want to make sure you get the 4-1-1 when we know for sure what's happening behind closed doors? Add NXP to your watchlist and you're set.