Manchester United are not about to be taken over by Elon Musk – contrary to the controversial billionaire's recent admission on Twitter.
The Red Devils have got off to the worst possible start in the Premier League with two defeats in their opening two games, suffering a chastening 4-0 thrashing away to Brentford on Saturday evening. During the match, travelling supporters unfurled banners targeted at the Glazers, who own the club and have a fractured relationship with fans.
United fans are angry that their owners have taken dividends, failed to get rid of the debt that they lumbered the club with and have consistently made poor decisions for the footballing side of the business. So imagine their excitement when Musk – worth around £205 billion – offered to purchase the club on Twitter.
Seemingly out of nowhere, businessman Musk announced to his 103.4m followers, "Also, I'm buying Manchester United," on Twitter. When asked if he was serious, the South Africa-born tech magnate said, "No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I’m not buying any sports teams.
United fans who might have got their hopes up may still have cause for optimism, however. Musk followed up his denial by declaring that were he to purchase a sports team, the 13-time Premier League champions would be the one he'd choose since he supported them as a child.
With the campaign to get rid of Manchester United's owners intensifying, supporters will be hoping that this is the first of many dominoes that actually sees some kind of change. Musk's comments will at least shed a light on the situation in the US – bad publicity that the Glazers will no doubt want to avoid.
And as one of, if not the, most supported club in the world, there could well be other individuals or consortiums genuinely interested in putting their names in the hat to buy the run-down Red Devils.
United currently sit bottom of the league with a single goal and zero points from their opening two fixtures, as one of three teams yet to have picked up a point so far this term. Things don't exactly get any easier this Monday night either, with Erik ten Hag taking his confidence-shot squad back to Manchester for a fixture against Liverpool, who beat them 5-0 in the same fixture last season.
With the chances of a takeover remote at current and the idea of a fan worth 12 figures purchasing the club a fantasy right now, United fans might see Musk's tweet as yet more of their side being laughed at. But if powerful figures could at least highlight the issues that fans are appalled by at Old Trafford, perhaps the Glazers won't feel quite so comfortable in their ownership as they have done…
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The end of the transfer window is set to be busy for Manchester United, with four more signings targeted. As many as six defenders could leave the club, too.
The Frenkie de Jong saga continues to tick over. Cristiano Ronaldo would reportedly be unhappy if De Jong commanded a higher wage than him, while Chelsea also have an interest in the Dutchman – and a plan to hijack his move. Sergino Dest – another Ajax star under Ten Hag who moved to Barcelona – is also an option, while potential Ronaldo replacement Benjamin Sesko has been linked.
Benjamin Pavard has apparently been offered to United by Bayern Munich, while another Bundesliga star is also on the shortlist. Meanwhile, Dean Henderson has criticised his treatment at Old Trafford last season.
