Jeff Bezos approached for $6bn Liverpool investment
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been approached to join a consortium seeking a minority stake in Liverpool FC, a deal that would value the club at more than $6bn and underscore the accelerating influx of US capital into European football.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has confirmed that an investment consortium led by former Queens Park Rangers co-owner Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in buying a strategic minority stake in Liverpool FC. Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder whose fortune is estimated by Forbes at almost $257bn, has held discussions about joining this syndicate. However, a source cautioned that Bezos is not certain to proceed with an investment.
According to the Financial Times, a deal with the Bhatia-led group would value Liverpool at more than $6bn. At that level, it would rival the biggest deals struck for an English Premier League club over the last five years, broadly comparable to the valuations of Manchester United and Chelsea. The potential stake is reportedly around 30 per cent, making it far larger than the passive investment sold to US private equity firm Dynasty Equity in 2023.
The approach underscores the relentless influx of American money into the top flight of English football. Roughly half of the 20 Premier League clubs are now owned by predominantly US-based investors, including newly crowned champions Arsenal. FSG, a US-based company controlled by John Henry, bought Liverpool for £300m in 2010. The proposed $6bn valuation represents a staggering fifteen-fold increase, demonstrating the premium global sports franchises now command.
From a financial perspective, the deal would likely mirror the structure of the Dynasty Equity transaction. In that 2023 deal, FSG sold a small stake to pay down debt and finance capital expenditure, rather than to fund player transfers. Financial experts note that while a strategic minority stake brings operational and commercial expertise, any resulting increase in the club's transfer budget would be indirect, driven by broader revenue growth rather than injected equity.
Despite FSG stating there are no current plans to relinquish the club, a 30 per cent sale to a deep-pocketed consortium will raise expectations of an eventual exit. Bhatia, a former Morgan Stanley banker backed by the Mittal family, recently transferred his QPR shares to clear the way for this bid. If finalised with Bezos involved, it would signal a new era of ultra-wealthy tech executives entering European football ownership.
