Musk is “another multimillionaire who has discovered charms of this country”

O Nascer do Sol writes today that “Elon Musk wants to buy a house in Portugal”.

Whether this is the start of the silly season or not, we will have to wait and see. O Nascer do Sol (better known as Sol) launches into its (very short) exclusive referring to “other figures of international renown who want to buy a house in Portugal”, including apparently “celebrated North American presenter Oprah Winfrey”.

For Sol, the “mystery” behind what brought the owner of Tesla and social media network ‘X’ to Portugal earlier this month has been solved: “Elon Musk is another multimillionaire who has discovered the charms of this country in the south of Europe.

“After landing at Tires Aerodrome on July 4 with his son for a visit of a few days, which caused great curiosity, Nascer do SOL has learned that Musk has left a representative in the country with the task of finding him a house to buy.

“The prospecting is being done discreetly, not least because the millionaire (sic) wants to avoid harassment inside and outside Portugal. Musk doesn’t want to attract attention.

“When questioned by our newspaper, (the Mayor of Lisbon) Carlos Moedas said he was unaware of Elon Musk’s intentions, despite having tried to contact him, without success, during his stay in Portugal.

“Other internationally renowned figures are currently looking to buy a house in Portugal, and according to what we’ve learnt, this is the case of the famous American TV presenter Oprah Winfrey”.

Hot-on-the-heels of Musk’s trip followed his mother and youngest sister Tosca, with her children. And they too appear to have been ‘enchanted by Portugal’. Were they perhaps part of the discreet search for a ‘perfect location’?

For the start of the silly season, this isn’t bad: it suggests Portugal is very much on the map of the world’s multimillionaires, if not billionaires – and while this may leave left wingers concerned about the housing crisis in despair, it will have the opposite effect on the real estate sector and sundry appendages.