Elon Musk, who is still tying up loose ends from his $44 billion Twitter takeover in October, just can't seem to stay away from billion dollar deals.
The Tesla (TSLA) CEO already runs businesses in the space, neurological, social media, and automotive industries, but now he might just want to enter the sports arena, too.
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Musk has rarely shied away from a splashy deal, and this time, he's reportedly "monitoring" the ongoing situation with Manchester United.
Could Elon Musk Really Buy Manchester United?
Earlier this week, it was widely reported that Qatari investors were "set to make an offer" on English Premier League (EPL) team Manchester United -- a deal potentially worth around $6 billion.
That deal has not gone through and the Friday deadline for any serious buyers to make their bids is still looming.
"According to sources, the tech-billionaire is believed to be monitoring the situation closely, and wondering if there is an opportunity at Old Trafford that he should not miss," The Daily Mail reported.
"As the owner of Twitter, he will also have seen that few entities create the clicks, hysteria and interest that emerges from Old Trafford. In that aspect, they are like no other. He will also be well aware of the power United have in Manchester and well-beyond," The Daily Mail continued. "Indeed a new project – and the opportunity to eventually make even more money - may be difficult to resist. The six months that followed his gag have not been kind."
Musk tweeted in August 2022 that he was "buying" Manchester United following widespread protests against United's current American owners, the Glazer family.
He's also tweeted before United was his "fav team" growing up.
Manchester United Have a Complicated History
The Glazers bought Manchester United in 2005 via a leveraged buyout for around 790 million pounds with the assistance of JP Morgan (JPM). They announced in November that they could put the team up for sale following mounting pressure and highly public fan protests during a rout last season.
United is a storied team in both the Premier League and internationally; it has the most wins in Premier League history at 717. The team has over 20 league titles and three Champions League titles. It's been home to stars like striker Cristiano Ronaldo and English legends David Beckham and Wayne Rooney.
It's also valued as the 19th richest team in the world at $4.5 billion dollars, between the NFL's Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins. The Glazers reportedly want around $6 billion for the team, or roughly 1/7 the cost of Twitter's 2022 purchase price. Not much, when you put it that way. A
United are currently third in the EPL table. Tesla is up nearly 2% as of this writing
