May 31 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department is preparing an anti-trust investigation of Alphabet Inc's Google, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing sources.

The probe is expected to examine Google practices linked to search and other businesses, according to the report https://on.wsj.com/2KhUtnc, which also said the Federal Trade Commission had investigated Google many years ago but will defer to the DOJ this time.

Google and the Justice Department did not respond to requests by Reuters for comment on Friday. (Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru Editing by Leslie Adler)