Elon Musk 'interested' in making £4.5bn Man Utd takeover bid with Twitter CEO worth £157bn

Manchester United owners, the Glazers, are exploring a full sale of the club this month.

Posted Tuesday, February 14, 2023 by Express.co.uk

Elon Musk, one of the wealthiest people in the world, is reportedly 'monitoring the situation' regarding Manchester United's sale and could make a move to buy the club. The Glazers have set a soft deadline for prospective bids to be made by this Friday.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains the only person to publicly declare an interest in buying the club from the Glazers. But there is reported to be plenty of interest from US investors as well as Qatar-based groups.

And they could be joined in the bidding process by Musk, according to the Daily Mail. It's claimed the tech-billionaire 'likes' United and is pondering over a decision to make a formal bid for the club.

The report suggests that Musk doesn't want to miss out on a potential opportunity to invest in one of the biggest football teams in the world.

It was only a few months ago that Musk tweeted: "I'm buying Manchester United ur welcome." The tweet immediately gained traction on social media among hordes of United supporters.

Elon Musk is interested in buying Manchester United

But Musk clarified that his tweet was a "long-running joke" a mere four hours later. "I'm not buying any sports teams," Musk added. As well as causing momentary excitement among United supporters with his initial tweet, Musk also indirectly boosted the club's shares by nearly 17 per cent.

Raine Group, who are looking over the process for the Glazers, are expected to receive official bids this week. But the 'soft deadline' imposed for February 17 could also mean rival bidders will get an opportunity further down the line to make an approach.

The Glazers are reportedly seeking £6billion for a full sale, although it's been claimed they're also open to the idea of keeping their majority stake. It's been reported that both Avram and Joel Glazer are exploring the possibility of buying out their siblings.

Bids from Qatar will likely be subject to rigorous examination given QSI's ownership of Paris Saint-Germain. UEFA rules forbid a football club owner having majority stakes in more than one club, meaning any approach from Qatar would need to be from a consortium or an individual.