Twitter is seeking records from several of Elon Musk’s circle of Silicon Valley investors, friends and financial backers as the company looks to build its case against the Tesla chief executive over his stalled $44bn takeover.

Twitter wants any communication from those people related to the deal. The goal is likely to be to determine whether Musk had other concerns about completing his agreement to buy the company, beyond what he has said publicly, according to lawyers and academics not involved in the case.