Gasparino: Blankfein May Leave Goldman Sachs

FOX Business Network's Charlie Gasparino is reporting this afternoon that Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) Chairman and CEO, Lloyd Blankfein, may be looking to leave the firm at the end of the year.

Sources tell Gasparino that “there is no board pressure” for Blankfein to “step down or even give up power in terms of the Chairmanship,” but that friends close to the CEO say that “he's tired of running the company” and that “sometime in 2012, and maybe they'll announce it this year, Lloyd Blankfein will not be CEO of Goldman Sachs.”

Gasparino said, “Goldman Sachs refused to deny this story. I've given them many chances this morning,” further adding, ““His number two, Gary Cohn has also expressed interest in leaving Goldman and starting his own hedge fund. You can see, maybe both of them leaving, it could be the Blankfein Cohen hedge fund, maybe they'll start their own firm.”