Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur behind Tesla and Twitter, is being considered as a potential buyer for Manchester United.
The Glazers, who have owned the Premier League club since 2005, have set a soft deadline of February 17 for bids to be received.
It has previously been reported that the family are seeking a buyout of up to £5bn though reports now suggest this could be considerably less.
Musk’s credentials would make him an attractive proposition; he completed his takeover of Twitter in October 2022 with a reported value of £37.9bn and Forbes estimates his current net worth to be $187.2bn (£153.8bn).
Known for his diverse business interests, this wealth stems from multiple sources, most notably SpaceX which alone is estimated to be valued at $127bn and has seen its value quadruple over three years.
Despite Musk having dismissed media talk of investment as a “long-running joke” back in 2022, the last month has seen speculation gather pace that the 51-year-old South African-born businessman is monitoring the situation around United.
Competition could come from Ineos boss Jim Ratcliffe, a Qatari group or investors with ties across America, Saudi Arabia and Britain.
This article was updated 10 months ago