Takeover latest: Elon Musk emerges as potential Manchester United bidder

Elon Musk has emerged as a potential buyer of Manchester United as the Glazer family look to sell the club.

Elon Musk and the purchase of Manchester United has been an idea that has half-jokingly floated around for a number of years, with the Twitter-owning tech-billionaire joking six months ago that he was in fact buying the club.

However, it has emerged from the Daily Mail on Monday that although Musk has previously passed off his interest as a joke, he is privately keeping tabs on the situation and is believed to be interested in making a £4.5 billion move for the club.

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Manchester United’s cost to buy is believed to be valued at around £6 billion once factors such as the renovation of the stadium, player purchases and other financial matters are considered, and Musk is one of the few people on the planet who could afford that with ease.

Although it is claimed that associates of the philanthropist refuse to comment on any possible interest, sources ‘close to the deal’ insist that said interest exists.

Elon Musk is thought to be worth over £150 billion, making the £6 billion cost to buy Manchester United almost pocket change – in 2022 he purchased social media platform Twitter for a cost of around $44 billion.

United have been subject to serious interest from investors in Qatar, with British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe also emerging as a potential new owner closer to home.

The Qatar investors are said to not have any direct affiliation with the Qatari Investment Group, who currently own PSG, and it has been said that UEFA would allow the purchase to go through as long as this was written in stone, as it bypasses any conflicts of interest.

Musk has previously stated that if he was to purchase any sports team, it would be Manchester United.

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United is a club that is in dire need of modernisation – and with Musk certainly a forward-thinker, this move would see United thrown into the forefront of innovation within football.

This, however, would not come without significant risk, as Musk has been known to be incredibly impulsive and a huge risk-taker, which could easily result in United falling behind – but could just as easily see the club put back to it’s former glory as the champions of England and Europe.

Manchester United are set to take on Barcelona in the Europa League as Erik ten Hag’s quest for trophies continue, with Newcastle United posing as opposition for the Carabao Cup final in just under two weeks time.

Casemiro will be available for selection once again for the trip to Spain as his current three-match ban does not apply to European competition, while Lisandro Martinez is suspended for the fixture due to picking up two yellow cards in the group stage.