Despite the objections of Sprint CEO Dan Hesse over the proposed AT&T and T-Mobile U.S. merger, rumors suggest that if and when the merger is completed Sprint will be an acquisition target, as it will need to become bigger to compete on equal footing with its rivals in the U.S.

According to several sources we spoke with (and backed up by Bloomberg), the most likely buyer of Sprint would be CenturyLink.  CenturyLink, which just merged with Qwest Communications, is the biggest telecommunications company that currently does not have a wireless division. While some have suggested that Comcast might also be a potential buyer, we suspect that they would be a long shot at best to purchase Sprint.

While no one is talking yet about the possibility of a Sprint purchase, we don’t expect this to really heat up till the AT&T and T-Mobile U.S. deal is finalized and some time passes. If everything goes as planned, expect to start hearing about a Sprint purchase toward the end of this year. In the meantime, expect Sprint to do everything that it can to strengthen its position.