Bezos-Backed Group Buys One-Third of Liverpool FC in Deal Valuing Club at $7.1 Billion

Fenway Sports Group announced Friday it has entered a "definitive agreement" to sell a minority stake in Liverpool Football Club to a consortium called 1892 Holdings, whose backers include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

The buying group is picking up roughly one-third of the club, according to CNBC and Business Insider, both citing people familiar with the matter. CNBC put the value of the minority transaction at about $7.1 billion. The deal also gives the consortium an option to become Liverpool's majority owner within the next 12 months at a valuation around $8 billion, according to a source who spoke to CNBC.

FSG, which has owned Liverpool since a £300 million purchase in 2010, says it "continues to retain majority ownership and operational control" for now. The BBC reported the overall club valuation implied by the deal falls between £5 billion and £6 billion.

Who's actually in the room

The consortium is managed by Amit Bhatia, a British-Indian businessman who spent 18 years as a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers before giving up that stake last month, according to the BBC. Bhatia is married to a daughter of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, whose net worth Bloomberg estimates at $42.6 billion, per Business Insider. Bhatia will become Liverpool's vice-chairman and join an expanded board once regulators sign off.

Bezos himself will not sit on the board. Instead, Bryan Baum, founder of venture capital firm K5 Sports — through which Bezos is investing — takes a board seat representing Bezos's side of the deal. Separately, CNBC reported the single largest contributor to the transaction is a firm called K5 Global, which put in more than $1 billion, with Bezos as lead investor in that fund. Elaine Saverin, Eduardo's wife, also joins the board through the couple's family office, EE Capital.

This marks the first publicly confirmed sports ownership stake for Bezos, who Forbes lists with a net worth of $272 billion, making him the world's fourth-richest person. He had previously explored ownership in the NFL's Washington Commanders — an investment group led by Josh Harris ultimately bought that team in 2023, according to Business Insider — and had also been linked to interest in the Seattle Seahawks.

What doesn't change, at least for now

BBC Sport reported the transaction will have no effect on Liverpool's approach to the current transfer window, and there is no separate transfer budget tied to the new money. This is a change in ownership structure, not an immediate cash injection for player signings.

FSG has done this kind of deal before, having previously sold a minority stake in Liverpool to the investment firm Dynasty Equity. Mike Gordon, FSG's president, framed the latest sale as consistent with the club's long-term strategy rather than a step toward an exit. "As we considered this opportunity, it became clear that Amit and the consortium shared our long-term philosophy and appreciation for what makes Liverpool special," Gordon said in FSG's statement, as quoted by the BBC, CNBC and Business Insider.

The unresolved part

The option for 1892 Holdings to take majority control within a year, at a roughly $8 billion valuation, is significant going forward. A source told the BBC that "no commitments have been made" toward FSG selling up, but the option itself puts the consortium in what the BBC called "pole position" if FSG's principal owner, Boston Red Sox owner John Henry, decides to move on. Business Insider noted Henry bought Liverpool when the club was in financial distress and has since presided over a Premier League title in the 2024-25 season.

The sale still requires regulatory approval before it closes. Whether 1892 Holdings exercises its option to go from minority partner to controlling owner within the next year will be the next milestone to watch. It would mark the point at which Bezos's money and Bhatia's board seat actually start shaping decisions beyond the current transfer window.