Jeff Bezos Joins Liverpool Ownership as Bhatia-Led Group Buys 38% Stake With Option to Take Control of Club

LIVERPOOL, England — Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has made his first major investment in professional sports as part of a consortium that has bought a significant minority stake in English Premier League club Liverpool, in a deal that values the club at more than $7 billion.

Early reports had said the group, led by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia, was close to buying about a third of the club in a deal worth around 1.35 billion pounds. The final agreement turned out to be larger. The consortium bought roughly 38% of Liverpool from Fenway Sports Group, the American company that has owned the club since 2010, according to reports by The Athletic and Sky Sports.

FSG keeps majority ownership and operational control of the club. The new investors also have an option to become majority shareholders within the next 12 months, according to CNBC.

Who is involved

The consortium, called 1892 Holdings after the year Liverpool was founded, is led and managed by Bhatia. It includes investments from Bhatia and the Mittal Family Trusts; K5 Sports, a fund in which Bezos is the lead investor; and EE Capital, the family office of Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and his wife, Elaine.

Bhatia is the son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and a former co-owner of English club Queens Park Rangers.

CNBC reported that Bezos contributed more than $1 billion to the initial fund. Bezos, one of the world's richest people, has an estimated net worth of $286 billion, according to Bloomberg. Saverin's net worth is estimated at about $32.5 billion.

Board changes

Bhatia has become Liverpool's vice chairman and joined the club's expanded board of directors. Elaine Saverin and Bryan Baum of K5 Sports also joined the board.

Bezos himself does not have a seat on the board and is expected to take a hands-off role.

Record valuation

The deal values Liverpool at more than $7 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. Sportico described it as a record valuation for a soccer club investment, topping the roughly $5.8 billion enterprise value implied by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe's 2024 purchase of a stake in Manchester United.

If the consortium exercises its option to take control within the next year, the deal would value the club at about $8 billion, CNBC reported.

The investment represents a huge return for FSG, which bought Liverpool for about 300 million pounds in 2010, when the club was in financial turmoil.

FSG: shared long-term vision

FSG president Mike Gordon said the investors shared the group's approach to running the club.

"Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season and making decisions with the club's long-term interests in mind," Gordon said. "That approach continues to attract interest from respected investors and business leaders around the world."

"As we considered this opportunity, it became clear that Amit and the consortium shared our longterm philosophy and appreciation for what makes Liverpool special," he added.

Bhatia said: "We are incredibly proud to be investing in Liverpool Football Club and to be doing so alongside FSG."

The club said the transaction would not affect its approach to the transfer market.

A new era for FSG

FSG, led by John W. Henry and Tom Werner, also owns baseball's Boston Red Sox, along with other sports and media properties. The company has previously raised outside money for its sports empire, including a 2022 minority investment in Liverpool by U.S. firm RedBird Capital Partners.

Under FSG, Liverpool has won the Premier League, the Champions League and other major trophies, making it one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world.

The deal comes during a period of change on the field. Liverpool finished fifth in the Premier League last season without winning a trophy, prompting a change in head coach.

Bezos' first big sports bet

The Liverpool investment marks Bezos' first major move into professional sports ownership. He had previously been linked in reports to possible bids for NFL teams, but those did not materialize.

Bezos' other holdings include The Washington Post and space company Blue Origin, while Amazon has expanded into sports broadcasting, including rights to NFL games and Premier League matches in some markets.

Saverin, a Brazilian-born investor who co-founded Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg, runs the venture capital firm B Capital.

Wealthy investors flock to football

The deal adds to a wave of investment by billionaires, private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds in European soccer. Premier League clubs in particular have attracted foreign investors drawn by global popularity, broadcast revenue and rising valuations.

Manchester City is owned by Abu Dhabi's City Football Group, Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, and Chelsea by a consortium led by American investor Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

Attention now turns to whether 1892 Holdings exercises its option to take majority control of Liverpool over the next year, which would bring an end to FSG's leadership of the club. Any change of control would require approval from the Premier League under its owners' and directors' test.

For now, FSG remains in charge of day-to-day operations, with the new investors bringing additional financial firepower to one of the world's most famous clubs.