Bezos eyes 30% Liverpool stake as club hits £4.5bn valuation

Jeff Bezos has entered discussions to join a consortium pursuing a 30% stake in Liverpool Football Club. The group, led by former Queens Park Rangers co-owner Amit Bhatia, has submitted a provisional offer of £1.35bn to owner Fenway Sports Group. The proposed transaction values the Premier League club at approximately £4.5bn.

That valuation establishes a new financial benchmark for European football assets. It exceeds the pricing applied to Manchester United when Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 25% stake two years ago. FSG previously sold a 3% stake in Liverpool to US private equity firm Dynasty Equity in 2023.

Bezos, the Amazon founder with an estimated personal fortune of $257bn, would take direct equity in the club. He has previously explored purchasing NFL franchises including the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, but has never targeted the Premier League. His potential arrival would formally link one of the world's largest tech and media ecosystems to English club ownership.

Amazon already possesses deep ties to live sports broadcasting. The company held the UK rights to 20 Premier League matches per season for six years until the end of last year. It currently streams the Champions League in several European markets and holds NFL rights in the United States.

Bhatia is concurrently securing further capital to fund the minority acquisition. He is believed to have locked in financial backing from his father-in-law, Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, whose family wealth stands at around £23bn. Bhatia transferred his QPR shares to fellow owner Ruben Gnanalingam yesterday to clear the way for this investment.

FSG has publicly acknowledged the preliminary approach. "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. A spokesperson for Bhatia declined to comment.