LONDON — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is nearing a deal to acquire a minority stake in Liverpool Football Club as part of an investment consortium led by businessman Amit Bhatia, with an announcement potentially due this week, according to Sky News.
The consortium is seeking to acquire roughly one-third of the Premier League club from Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool's controlling shareholder since 2010. The transaction is expected to value Liverpool at about $6 billion, Sky News reported, citing sources familiar with the talks.
The group also includes Eduardo Saverin, a co-founder of Facebook, while Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, is leading the syndicate. The Guardian reported that the investors have agreed in principle to pay about £1.35 billion for a 30% stake, although completion could take up to a month.
Sky News reported that the stake could ultimately be slightly larger than 30%, citing an insider. Neither FSG nor the consortium has publicly confirmed the final size or value of the transaction.
An FSG spokesperson said last month that an investment consortium led, managed and represented by Bhatia had expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool. FSG declined to comment on the timing of a potential announcement, while a spokesman for Bhatia's consortium also declined to comment, Sky News reported.
Liverpool's official website currently identifies FSG as the sole controller of The Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds Limited, with John Henry, Tom Werner and Michael Gordon managing FSG.
If completed, the transaction would mark Bezos' first investment in football ownership. The Amazon founder has previously been linked with potential investments in professional sports franchises in the United States but has not completed a purchase of a team.
Bezos stepped down as Amazon's chief executive in 2021 and remains executive chairman. Amazon has expanded into sports broadcasting, including previously holding rights to Premier League matches in Britain and currently showing Champions League and NFL games in several markets.
FSG bought Liverpool in 2010 for about £300 million. It sold a small stake to U.S. investment firm Dynasty Equity in 2023, in a transaction that valued the club at more than $4.5 billion.
The proposed investment comes after a period of change at Anfield, including the replacement of head coach Arne Slot and the departure of forward Mohamed Salah.
FSG remains Liverpool's controlling shareholder, and the proposed transaction has yet to be formally completed.
