Last Updated on 02/14/2023 by てんしょく飯
The Daily Mail reports that the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has started to buy Manchester United.
Last summer, he tweeted, “If I were to buy a sports team, it would be Manchester U.
Last November, the club’s owners, the Glazer family, mentioned that they were ready to sell their stake in the club, and rumors about a takeover have been constantly circulating since then. According to some reports, this Friday is the deadline for the club to solicit candidates, and the leading candidates include Middle Eastern capitalists from Qatar and Saudi Arabia, an investment group led by club alumnus David Beckham, and Jim Ratcliffe, one of the wealthiest men in the United Kingdom.
The Daily Mail reported on Mr. Musk’s moves. According to a person close to him, he is checking the whole situation and exploring the possibility of a takeover of Manchester U. The person said, ‘If there is a chance, I would like to see the club in the market. If there is a chance, he will not miss it,’ the source said.
Musk, who now owns three giant companies, “Tesla,” “SpaceX,” and “Twitter,” was ranked second in Forbes magazine’s “World’s Biggest Companies” ranking at the end of last year, with total assets of $181.3 billion (about 24.47 trillion yen), although he relinquished the top spot for the first time in a year and three months. Incidentally, the top shareholder is Bernard Arnault, owner of the luxury brand “Louis Vuitton,” with assets of $186.2 billion (approximately 25.13 trillion yen).
The Glazer family’s offer is said to be at least $5 billion (approximately 675 billion yen), which, if realized, would be the highest price ever paid for a professional sports club (the current number one is $4.65 billion when the NFL Denver Broncos were acquired last summer).
Last October, Mr. Musk spent a total of $44 billion (about 5.95 trillion yen) to acquire Twitter. The Daily Mail reported, “With the amount of Musk’s assets, it is quite possible for him to buy Manchester U.” The Daily Mail added, “There is too little time, though. He may not be ready in time to compete with his rivals.
In fact, Mr. Musk is an avowed Manchester U fan.
Last summer, when supporters launched a campaign calling for the resignation of the Glazer family, he stunned the world by writing on Twitter, “I will take over Manchester United. Immediately afterward, he said, “It’s a joke only Twitter can make. I’m not buying any sports team,” he clarified that it was a joke, but added, “However, if there is such a team, it would be Manchester U. It’s my favorite team since I was a kid. But if any team would do it, it would be Manchester U, because they’ve been my favorite team since I was a kid,” he added.
How will the takeover of soccer’s “most prestigious brand” unfold and how will it end? The final answer is expected to be given soon.
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