Josh Harris

Elon Musk's takeover was not the biggest joke at Manchester United's expense this week, according to CHIEF SPORTS WRITER. In a tense tweet, the world's richest man (inset top) was only hinting when he said he was buying the club, but that was bad enough. On the same day, Mercedes chief Toto Wolff (inset bottom) said he had studied the team in an attempt to find out why great teams fall apart in an interview with the Financial Times. Wolff was not mocking, merely as the head of a Mercedes unit that had dominated F1, seeing Manchester United as a similar sporting venture before their recent fall. Nonetheless, it reinforced the belief that United is a punchline, the way Manchester City used to be. Sir Alex Ferguson would call Maine Road, 'The Theatre of Screams.' United's abilities, as well as others, can be used to them. For a crash course in how not to do it, the top players in the game are learning how to do it. So why would Sir Jim Ratcliffe (left) want to get involved with the club in its present state? Avram and Joel Glazer, the two owners of United Kingdom, are pictured right.

Josh Harris, a co-owner of Crystal Palace, is involved in the private equity company Apollo, who are in exclusive talks to buy a minority stake in Manchester United. If Apollo's efforts to buy shares in the Old Trafford club stall, it remains to be seen if the businessman's links to the Selhurst Park club would breach English football's team ownership legislation. Sportsmail exclusively announced on Wednesday night that the US firm is in talks with the Glazer family about a minority interest in the company, although no agreement to sell a stake to Apollo is set to be concluded until next month.

The Denver Broncos have officially sold to a group of Walmart heirs for a whopping $4.65 billion. That's not only an NFL record but a sports record, eclipsing Steve Cohen's $2.4 billion buy of the New York Mets and David Tepper's $2.3 billion purchase of the Carolina Panthers, not just a football record. It even outstrips Todd Boehly's $5.12 billion purchase of Chelsea FC because the club's stadium and contributions to charities funded by outgoing owner Roman Abramovich. According to various outlets, the true sales price was close to $3 billion. According to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, the Walton Penner Ownership Group's bid was approved by unanimous vote of NFL owners at a meeting on Tuesday.