Jeff Bezos Set to Join Liverpool with £1.35bn Stake

Liverpool are on the brink of welcoming one of the world’s richest men into their ownership structure, with Jeff Bezos poised to take a significant minority stake in the club as part of a heavyweight investment consortium.

A group led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, is close to sealing a deal for around 30 per cent of Liverpool from Fenway Sports Group (FSG), in a transaction worth in the region of £1.35 billion (€1.58 billion). Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is also part of the investor lineup.

The agreement is effectively in place and only the final formalities remain. Completion could still take up to a month, but the shape of Liverpool’s future power structure is already clear: FSG stay in charge, yet a new tier of financial muscle moves in beneath them.

Bezos steps into football

For Bezos, whose personal fortune Forbes estimates at about $257 billion (€223 billion), this marks his first foray into football ownership. He has previously explored potential bids for NFL franchises in the United States, but this is the first time he will hold equity in a major club.

The 62-year-old Amazon executive chair is expected to receive a direct stake as part of the transaction, which Deloitte is understood to have advised on. Saverin, reportedly worth around $32 billion (€28 billion), adds another layer of financial clout to a consortium already stacked with global capital.

Bezos no longer runs Amazon’s day-to-day operations, having stepped down as chief executive five years ago, but his influence over the company’s strategic direction remains unmistakable. Under his leadership, Amazon pushed aggressively into live sport, turning its streaming platform into a serious player in the broadcast market.

Amazon previously held live UK rights for 20 Premier League games per season for six seasons up to the end of last year. It also broadcasts the Champions League in several European territories and carries NFL coverage in the US. Now, the man who helped steer that shift is moving from the boardroom of a broadcaster into the boardroom of one of English football’s most storied clubs.

New money, new era at Anfield

FSG, who bought Liverpool in 2010, have overseen a period that delivered two Premier League titles and re-established the club as a modern powerhouse. They have been open to external investment without relinquishing control, selling a 3 per cent stake to US private equity firm Dynasty Equity in 2023.

This latest deal goes far further in scale, even if FSG remain majority owners. It arrives at a time of upheaval on and off the pitch at Anfield.

Andoni Iraola has taken over as head coach, replacing Arne Slot in a summer that has already reshaped the club’s direction. Mohamed Salah, one of the defining figures of the FSG era, has left on a free transfer and joined Trabzonspor. Michael Edwards, a key architect of Liverpool’s modern recruitment strategy, has also departed his role as chief executive officer at FSG.

Against that backdrop, the arrival of Bezos and a billionaire-backed consortium feels like more than just a financial transaction. It is a statement about where Liverpool intend to sit in the global game over the next decade.

FSG have been approached for comment.