‘I’m buying Manchester United’ – Elon Musk declares interest to buy club

Tesla billionaire Elon Musk briefly electrified the debate about the future of Manchester United by claiming on Twitter that he is buying the struggling Premier League club – before saying that the post was part of a “long-running joke”.

With the team rooted to the bottom of the league after a humiliating 4-0 away defeat to Brentford, the outspoken entrepreneur’s tweet offered hope – however –briefly – to fans who want to see the back of current owners, the Florida-based Glazer family.

He wrote, “Also, I’m buying Manchester United ur welcome”.

Musk has a history of making irreverent tweets, and he later clarified the post by saying he was not buying sports teams.

Buying United, one of the biggest football clubs in the world, would have cost Musk at least £2bn, according to its current stock market valuation.

The Red Devils’ fans are no longer comfortable with the current club’s owners, the Glazer family and have been protesting, asking them to go.