Billionaire Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, claimed in a tweet Tuesday night that he was buying English football club Manchester United.
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In a sibylline tweet, the wealthy businessman, used to unpredictable and provocative statements on social media, said: “And I’m buying Manchester United, you’re welcome.”
It was unclear whether the richest businessman in the world was serious about a takeover bid.
Questioned by AFP, neither Tesla nor the club’s Glazer family-controlled management responded immediately.
The English club, which has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange for ten years, has a market capitalization of $2.08 billion. The action, which had closed stable at $12.78 (+0.08%) on Tuesday, fell 2.11% in electronic trading after the close.
Also, I’m buying Manchester United, welcome
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2022
Although no shareholder holds a majority stake, Manchester United is controlled by the six children of American businessman Malcolm Glazer, who took over the company in 2005 before passing away in 2014.
The club’s management faced fierce protests from fans in April last year when they wanted to take part in a breakaway European Super League plan that was eventually scrapped.
The Red Devils wanted to create a competing European Champions League competition with 5 other English clubs, 3 Spanish and 3 Italian, an initiative which had provoked intense political and sporting protests but also violent reactions from supporters of the clubs concerned.
Corrected sharply last Saturday (4-0) in Brentford, Manchester United currently sit an undignified last place in the English championship after two defeats in two games, well behind a successful leading duo consisting of Arsenal and Manchester City, convincing winners.
As for Elon Musk, he recently sold nearly $7 billion worth of shares in his automaker Tesla while he’s in the midst of a legal battle over his failed takeover project of the social network Twitter.