Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is reportedly closing in on a deal to acquire a more than 30% stake in Liverpool Football Club as part of an investment consortium led by businessman Amit Bhatia.
Sky News reports that Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool’s controlling shareholder, is preparing to announce the transaction as early as this week, although the timing could still move into next week.
The proposed investment would value Liverpool at about £4.4 billion ($6 billion), potentially making it one of the largest transactions involving a minority stake in football.
Bezos would join a consortium that includes Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder, and is led by Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal. Bhatia was until recently a shareholder in Championship club Queens Park Rangers.
If completed, the investment would bring two of the world’s wealthiest technology entrepreneurs into Liverpool’s ownership structure alongside FSG. Bezos has an estimated fortune of more than £207 billion ($280 billion), according to Forbes, while Saverin is estimated to be worth more than £23.7 billion ($32 billion).
The deal was initially expected to involve roughly one-third of Liverpool, but an insider cited by Sky News said the proposed stake could ultimately exceed 30%.
Liverpool Sale Plan
FSG, which has owned Liverpool since 2010, confirmed last month that a consortium led, managed and represented by Bhatia had expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in the club.
“An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club,” an FSG spokesperson said.
FSG and the Bhatia-led consortium have declined to comment on the latest reports about the timing or terms of the transaction.
The proposed investment would mark Bezos’ first major association with football ownership and underscores the growing attraction of elite sports franchises as long-term investment assets for billionaires.
Saverin, 44, previously participated in a consortium that unsuccessfully bid for Chelsea during the 2022 sale process that followed the UK government’s sanctions on then-owner Roman Abramovich after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
For FSG, a deal at a £4.4 billion valuation would represent a substantial increase on the £300 million it paid to acquire Liverpool in 2010, when the club was facing significant financial difficulties.
FSG has also already benefited from a previous minority investment. In 2023, US investment firm Dynasty Equity acquired a stake in Liverpool at a valuation of more than £3.3 billion ($4.5 billion).
The arrival of Bezos, Saverin and Bhatia would further strengthen Liverpool’s financial backing, while potentially fuelling speculation that the consortium could eventually seek greater control of the club.
However, the reported transaction is currently structured as a minority investment, meaning FSG would remain Liverpool’s controlling shareholder if the deal is completed.
