Bezos approached over £4.5bn Liverpool investment

A consortium led by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia is exploring the acquisition of a reported 30% stake in Liverpool FC. Reports now indicate the group has approached Jeff Bezos to join the bid, throwing the Amazon founder's name into a high-stakes Premier League deal.

Bezos, who has an estimated net worth of $256.9bn according to Forbes, has never previously invested in professional sport. However, he explored purchasing the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders in recent years before ultimately deciding against submitting offers.

According to the Financial Times, a deal with the Bhatia consortium would value Liverpool at approximately £4.5bn. This represents a staggering capital gain for Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which bought the club for just £300m in 2010. Since then, the American ownership has overseen a period of sustained on-pitch success, with the club winning the Champions League and two Premier League titles since 2019.

Unlike FSG's 2023 sale of a single-figure minority stake to Dynasty Equity—which was designed to recoup pandemic revenue losses and pay down infrastructure debt—Liverpool is currently in a robust financial position. In February, the club confirmed record revenues of more than £700m, securing its place as the highest-earning club in the Deloitte Football Money League.

The decision to court new investors despite this financial strength suggests FSG may believe the club's market value is peaking. The strategic shift comes during a period of significant internal transition at Anfield. Michael Edwards has stepped down as FSG's CEO of football, while sporting director Richard Hughes has been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal. The club is also preparing for a new era under head coach Andoni Iraola.

For ultra-wealthy investors, elite European football clubs offer a rare combination of global brand reach and asset scarcity. Neil Atkinson, CEO of fan media outlet The Anfield Wrap, questioned the underlying motives of such buyers. "What is in it for these very, very wealthy individuals, for whom Liverpool's yearly turnover, not profit, which is rare for Premier League clubs, would barely make a dent?" he said.

Atkinson noted that holding part-ownership across multiple global sports franchises could hold distinct value for families like the Mittals. "At least here you still hold the value of the asset," he added, while urging continued scrutiny of the investors' ultimate goals.

FSG and sources close to Bhatia have declined to comment on the specific involvement of Bezos. However, the mere prospect of the world's fourth-richest person entering the Premier League highlights the relentless flow of global capital into European sport, and raises fresh questions about whether this minority deal is the first step in a full FSG exit.