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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is a part of the investor group alongside Eduardo Saverin, one of the co-founders of social networking website Facebook, led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, which is closing on a deal to purchase roughly a one-third stake in the club, reported Sky Sports on Monday.
As per Sky Sports, the club's controlling stakeholder since 2010, the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) is likely to make an announcement regarding the transaction this week. The deal will see Bezos, Saverin and Amit, becoming a trio of the world's wealthiest individuals as co-owners of Liverpool, one of the most successful clubs in English football history. Another source has also indicated that the announcement would be coming in the coming days, but cautioned it could be delayed to next week. Bezos has a fortune worth 207bn pounds (280 billion USD) as estimated by Forbes, while Saverin is said to be worth over 23.7 billion pounds (32 billion USD). Their investment in The Reds will value the club at 4.4 billion pounds (6 billion USD), making this one of sport's richest deals of all time. Sky Sports is in touch with the club and FSG for a comment. Bezos has not previously been linked to any deals in football, his involvement with the club underlines the extent to which football is now viewed by wealthy investors as an asset class in its own right. The 44-year-old Saverin, a part of the consortium associated with an unsuccessful takeover bid for Chelsea FC back in 2022, which was triggered by Russia president Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. One insider also said that the deal was now expected to be slightly larger than previously anticipated, potentially with a stake of over 30 per cent. If the valuation hits 4.4 billion pounds, the deal will reinforce the financial success that the club owner's FSG have enjoyed since taking over the club. The Boston Red Sox owner acquired Liverpool for 300 million pounds when it was in a troubled state financially. The arrival of such a power-packed consortium also gives fuel to expectations that its members would seek outright control over the multi-time Premier League-winning club. A spokesperson for FSG said last month, as quoted by Sky Sports, "An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club." FSG declined to comment further on the deal's potential timing, while the consortium spokesperson also declined to comment. The last time stakes changed hands in Liverpool was back in 2023, when Dynasty Equity bought a small interest, valuing it at more than 3.3 billion pounds (4.5 billion USD). (ANI)
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