Tech billionaire Elon Musk has backtracked claims earlier today of buying Manchester United.

The world's richest man sent shockwaves through social media after tweeting "he's buying Manchester United", but he has now clarified his surprising comment.

Social media users were left in disbelief at Musk's tweet, with one writing: "Are you serious?"

Musk eventually replied, saying: "No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter. I'm not buying any sports teams."

Though in a follow-up tweet, Musk added: "Although, if it were any team, it would be Man U. They were my fav team as a kid."