Jeff Bezos to Acquire 30% Stake in Liverpool for £1.35bn

Liverpool are on the brink of welcoming one of the world’s richest men into their ownership structure, with Jeff Bezos part of a heavyweight consortium closing in on a 30 per cent stake in the club.

After months of negotiations with Fenway Sports Group (FSG), a group of investors led by Amit Bhatia is close to finalising a deal worth around £1.35 billion (€1.58 billion) for just under a third of the Premier League side. The agreement is effectively in place, with completion expected to take up to a month.

Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, is no stranger to English football. He previously held a shareholding at Queens Park Rangers and now fronts a far more eye-catching move, with Amazon founder Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin among the key figures in the consortium.

The numbers involved underline the scale of the shift. Bezos, 62, has an estimated personal fortune of about $257 billion (€223 billion), according to Forbes, ranking him as the fourth-richest person on the planet. Saverin’s wealth is reported at around $32 billion (€28 billion). Both step into a club already operating at the sharp end of the global game; their arrival would push Liverpool even further into the financial elite.

For Bezos, this is a first step into football ownership. He has previously explored bids for NFL franchises, and his move into Anfield equity reflects a broader strategy that has seen Amazon push hard into live sport as a pillar of its entertainment business. As part of the Liverpool deal, he will receive equity, with Deloitte understood to have advised on the transaction.

Bezos no longer runs Amazon’s day-to-day operations, having stepped down as chief executive five years ago to become executive chair. The company he built has not stood still. It has aggressively expanded into sports broadcasting, using its streaming platform to secure premium rights and challenge traditional broadcasters.

Amazon held live UK rights to 20 Premier League matches per season for six seasons until the end of last year, a foothold that helped normalise top-flight football on streaming platforms. It also shows the Champions League in several European markets and carries NFL coverage in the United States. A stake in Liverpool would add a new dimension: not just a broadcaster at the table, but a major shareholder in one of the clubs on screen.

At Anfield, the timing of this deal adds another twist to a period of upheaval. FSG, who bought Liverpool in 2010, have already presided over a transformative era that includes two Premier League titles and a return to the European elite. They dipped a toe into external investment last year, selling 3 per cent of the club to US private equity firm Dynasty Equity in 2023. A 30 per cent sale is something very different: a significant reshaping of the ownership landscape without ceding overall control.

The football side of the club has been anything but static. This summer has brought a change in the dugout, with Andoni Iraola replacing Arne Slot as head coach. On the pitch, Liverpool must now plan without one of the defining figures of the modern era, after Mohamed Salah departed on a free transfer and signed for Trabzonspor. Off the field, Michael Edwards has left his role as chief executive officer at FSG, another notable departure in a key strategic position.

Put together, it feels like a hinge moment. New coach. Star forward gone. Senior executive moved on. And now, a vast influx of external capital led by some of the most powerful figures in global tech and finance.

FSG has been approached for comment on the pending deal. For now, the numbers and the names speak loudly enough. If this agreement crosses the line as expected, Liverpool will step into a new era in which Anfield is not just a stage for world-class football, but a focal point for some of the deepest pockets in modern business.