Man United a 'laughing stock' as Elon Musk jokes about buying club from Glazers

The world's richest man almost broke the internet by announcing his intention to buy the Red Devils, only to backtrack and admit he was joking.

Musk tweeted: "To be clear, I support the left half of the Republican Party and the right half of the Democratic Party!

"Also, I'm buying Manchester United ur welcome."

After the tweet garnered worldwide attention, Telsa owners asked Musk if he was serious - and the billionaire revealed United were only the brunt of a joke.

He said: "No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I'm not buying any sports teams."

United fans are desperate for new ownership after a catastrophic start to the Premier League season - which has seen upset towards the Glazer family reach new heights.

The Americans have owned the Red Devils since 2005 and their reign has been littered with protests due to the debt, dividends and mismanagement that followed their contentious takeover.

United have also fallen from grace on the pitch during the Glazers' ownership, particularly over the last nine years, failing to challenge for the Premier League title after a period of dominance under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Their opening two defeats, including a 4-0 humiliation at Brentford, came amid a seriously underwhelming transfer window which seems to be getting worse.

A £15million move for Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot has collapsed and talkSPORT correspondent Alex Crook, who supports United, is officially fed up.

He tweeted: "Waking up to Elon Musk joking about buying #MUFC sums up where the club are.

"Have become a laughing stock and their Premier League rivals are mocking too.

"Anyone got any more darts to chuck around?"