The “Walgreens looking to acquire Rite Aid” rumors have resurfaced following comments by Stefano Pessina, the billionaire investor and acting CEO of Walgreens Boots Alliance.

Stefano Pessina

A March 12 article by Reuters quoted Pessina, in remarks at the Retail Week Live conference in London, as saying that of potential deals to be made, “the next big one will probably be in the U.S.” because of changes in the health care landscape brought by the Affordable Care Act. The story then went on to say, “There has been speculation that Walgreens’ smaller rival Rite Aid … could itself be an attractive acquisition target, with Walgreens having expressed interest in buying it in the past.”

Investor website The Street reported that Pessina’s comments sent up the price of Walgreens Boots Alliance shares that day. The article also quoted Jim Cramer of CNBC’s “Mad Money” saying that he thinks Walgreens Boots Alliance will look to buy a pharmacy benefits manager (PBM), a la rival CVS Health. “I expect them ultimately to buy a pharmacy benefits manager because that has worked so well for CVS and Rite Aid, although it is a bit of a departure from the company’s roots,” Cramer said in The Street’s article.

The next day, an article on investing website SeekingAlpha bore the headline, “Expect Walgreens To Acquire Rite Aid.” Citing Pessina’s remarks at Retail Week Live, the story said Walgreens Boots Alliance is “on the hunt for acquisitions here in the U.S.” and “Pessina called the U.S. pharmacy market ‘fascinating.'”

“If Walgreens really sees such a golden opportunity in the U.S. pharmacy market, chances are it won’t be buying up mom-and-pop pharmacy chains. Instead, Rite Aid looks to be target No. 1,” the SeekingAlpha article said.

Talk of a possible Walgreens acquisition of Rite Aid has popped up every so often over the past few years. Sometimes the reports have been reasonable, and sometimes not.

What makes this latest speculation cause industry observers to do a double take are the wealth of opportunities emerging in the U.S. retail health care market, Rite Aid’s vastly improved position — especially its surprise acquisition of PBM EnvisionRx — and the mention of Pessina, who has a reputation for making big deals happen.

Changes in the pharmaceutical market have led retail pharmacy players of all types and sizes to push for purchasing scale. At the same time, health care reform has swayed them to expand their pharmacy services and move into other health care services. Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS Health have been among the most active companies in that regard.

Stay tuned.