It wasn’t immediately clear if Musk was joking given his past antics online.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has promised to buy the UK’s Manchester United football club, sparking a firestorm of speculation on social media as observers questioned whether the promise was sincere.
After tweeting what appeared to be a political joke about his support for “left half of the Republican Party and right half of the Democratic Party” On Tuesday night, Musk nonchalantly added that he would buy the world-famous soccer club.
“Also, I am buying Manchester United ur [sic] Welcome,” he said, without offering further details.
The comment quickly sent waves through Twitter, with some users. asking if Musk was serious, while others almost begged the businessman to buy the team, which has had a shaky performance so far this season and is currently bottom of the Premier League table. Some beaten man u like a “joke,” however, and critics told Musk that the investment would be bad.
Also, I’m buying Manchester United, you’re welcome.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 17, 2022
A much-followed Manchester fan account also warned that Musk had made a “Legally binding” pledging to buy the club with his tweet, joking that he would be forced to do so under a recently passed bill in the US.
Elon this is a legally binding intent to purchase, it is a new law in the inflation reduction law.
— UnitedMuppetiers (@Muppetiers) August 17, 2022
The Manchester tweet isn’t the first time Musk has hinted at buying a major trading company somewhat randomly, previously joking that he’d like to buy Coca-Cola for “Put the cocaine back on.” The jokes appear to be related to the CEO’s efforts to buy Twitter for $41 billion, which ran into roadblocks and nearly failed amid a dispute over the number of ‘bot’ accounts on the platform.
According to Forbes, Manchester United is worth an estimated $4.6 billion and is a publicly traded company, currently owned by American business tycoon Malcolm Glazer. That means Musk, one of the world’s richest men, is likely to have the necessary funds if he decides to buy the club. However, should his tweet be sincere, Musk could face some competition, as British businessman Michael Knighton has reportedly expressed interest in his own takeover bid for ManU.