Bezos-backed consortium agrees to buy minority Liverpool stake at £5.5bn valuation

Fenway Sports Group said on 21 July that a consortium led by Amit Bhatia had expressed interest in a strategic minority investment in Liverpool. On 14 August it announced a definitive agreement to sell a minority stake to 1892 Holdings, which includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, valuing the club at a reported £5.5bn ($7.45bn). FSG keeps majority ownership and operational control. The deal needs regulatory approval, which FourFourTwo reported could take up to three months.

The size of the stake is disputed. SportsPro and FourFourTwo reported 30%, worth £1.65bn, and a source told beIN Sports it was about one-third. IBTimes, citing The Athletic and Sky Sports, reported roughly 38%, while Goal said the figure was believed to be closer to 40%. That would leave FSG with about 60% to 62% of the club.

Board and control

Should the deal be approved, Amit Bhatia will join the board as Liverpool vice-chairman, alongside Elaine Saverin of EE Capital and Bryan Baum of K5 Sports, beIN Sports reported. Bezos will not take a board seat and is expected to play a hands-off role. CNBC reported Bezos contributed more than $1bn to the initial fund. IBTimes described the deal as Bezos's first major investment in professional sports. Bhatia is the son-in-law of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, and the consortium includes the Mittal Family Trusts, beIN Sports reported. It takes its name from the year Liverpool was founded, SportsPro reported.

FSG president Mike Gordon said the investors shared the group's long-term approach. "Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season and making decisions with the club's long-term interests in mind," he said. Bhatia said the consortium was "incredibly proud" to invest alongside FSG.

Why the valuation matters

FSG paid £300m for Liverpool in 2010, rescuing the club from bankruptcy under Tom Hicks and George Gillett. The £5.5bn valuation is roughly 18 times that price. Sportico called it a record for an investment in a soccer club, topping the roughly $5.8bn enterprise value implied by Jim Ratcliffe's 2024 Manchester United stake purchase, IBTimes reported.

Forbes valued Liverpool at $4.6bn before the sale. Revenue rose from £195m in 2009/10 to £703m in 2025, the most of any English club, SportsPro reported.

What changes at the club

The club said the transaction would not affect its approach to the transfer market. FSG has sold equity before without ceding control: Dynasty Equity took between 1.9% and 3.8% of Liverpool in 2023, SportBible reported. At Manchester United, by contrast, Ratcliffe and INEOS bought a similar stake and took charge of how the club is run, including changes at senior management level, FourFourTwo reported.

What happens next

SportsPro reported that the consortium has an option to take full control should FSG decide to sell in the future. IBTimes, citing CNBC, said the group has an option to become majority shareholders within 12 months, and that exercising it would value Liverpool at about $8bn. The Guardian said a full takeover option runs until August 2027. FSG says the sale is not an exit strategy; SportsPro said FSG does not need the additional capital, suggesting a liquidity play.

The Premier League's Squad Cost Ratio, in force from 2026/27, limits on-pitch spending to 85% of football revenue plus net profit on player sales, FourFourTwo reported. Owner money does not count towards that cap, so the new cash points at infrastructure and commercial revenue rather than the transfer budget.