Liverpool Football Club owners Fenway Sports Group have officially sold a minority stake of around one-third of the club to a billionaire consortium for £1.65 billion.
The investment group is led by former Queens Park Rangers chairman Amit Bhatia, who will take up the role of vice chairman at Anfield. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is also indirectly involved in the transaction, though the American billionaire will not take a seat on the Liverpool board.
Alongside Bhatia and Bezos, the investing syndicate features technology pioneer Bryan Baum and Elaine Saverin, whose husband Eduardo Saverin co-founded Facebook alongside Mark Zuckerberg.
Confirming the investment in an official club statement, Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon emphasized that the decision aligns with the long-term stewardship model of the English Premier League club.
"Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season and making decisions with the club's long-term interests in mind," Gordon said. "That approach continues to attract interest from respected investors and business leaders around the world. 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. Their experience and perspective will complement the strong foundation already in place, and we look forward to working together."
Investment details and club governance
Boston-based Fenway Sports Group, who also own Major League Baseball franchise the Boston Red Sox, will receive the £1.65 billion payout while maintaining majority control of Liverpool. Sources close to the agreement and FSG indicate that the deal will not alter the daily operations of the club.
FSG retains ultimate decision-making authority at the Merseyside club, though Bhatia and his investment vehicle, 1892 Holdings, will be consulted on major strategic matters. The relationship between the club hierarchy and Bhatia, who had been in discussions regarding the equity purchase for an extended period, is expected to evolve flexibly over time.
Bhatia expressed confidence that the group brings a combination of business experience, contacts, and global reach that will help expand Liverpool's commercial networking across India and Asia.
"We are incredibly proud to be investing in Liverpool Football Club and to be doing so alongside FSG," Bhatia said. "We have the utmost respect and admiration for FSG as owners and for everything they have achieved at Anfield. To be welcomed as a partner in a club of this stature is a huge privilege. We are making this investment because we believe deeply in Liverpool and its leadership, and we look forward to supporting the club's continued success for years to come."
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos joins syndicate
Bezos, 62, enters football investment as the third-richest person in the world, according to Forbes rankings. In 1994, after reading that web usage was growing at a rate of 2,300 per cent annually, Bezos launched an online bookstore operating out of his Seattle garage alongside his then wife Mackenzie Scott.
Initially named Cadabra, the company was rebranded to Amazon after the South American river because website listings at the time were alphabetized, placing names beginning with 'A' near the top. Amazon expanded into general retail and cloud services to become one of the most recognizable companies in the world.
Although Bezos stepped down as chief executive of Amazon, he retains the title of executive chairman. He also owns The Washington Post newspaper and founded space exploration firm Blue Origin, which competes directly with Elon Musk in commercial aerospace and launched Bezos into space in 2021.
The Liverpool investment marks a fresh venture into professional sports for Bezos, who previously explored purchasing NFL franchises including the Seattle Seahawks, recent Super Bowl winners, and the Washington Commanders before pulling out of those bids. He married former American journalist Lauren Sanchez last year.
Facebook co-founder family and tech investors
Consortium member Elaine Saverin is married to Eduardo Saverin, the 44-year-old billionaire who co-founded Facebook while studying at Harvard University. Born in Brazil with Romanian heritage, Saverin moved to Miami at age 13 before attending Harvard, where he partnered with undergraduate classmate Mark Zuckerberg to launch the social network with an initial $1,000 investment each.
Originally named 'The Facebook', the platform expanded across universities and eventually to global users aged 13 and older. Today, parent corporation Meta Platforms boasts more than 3 billion active users and a market valuation of approximately £1.12 trillion. Saverin was portrayed by actor Andrew Garfield in the movie The Social Network, based on the book Accidental Billionaires.
Weeks prior to Facebook becoming a public company, Saverin relocated to Singapore and renounced his United States citizenship. He currently serves as the head of venture capital firm B Capital.
Amit Bhatia's background in sports and business
Bhatia, 46, is a British-Indian businessman with an investment banking background across technology, media, property, real estate, and healthcare sectors. After working on Wall Street, he founded a UK construction company at age 32 that currently employs more than 5,000 people, earning him the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2013.
In 2004, Bhatia married Vanisha Mittal in a six-day ceremony recorded by Guinness World Records as the most expensive wedding of all time at £41 million. Vanisha's father is steel industrialist Lakshmi Mittal, listed by Forbes as the world's 65th-richest person with a net worth of £24.8 billion.
Bhatia possesses long-standing sports management experience, having worked at London football club Queens Park Rangers for 19 years. His company, AyBe Capital, holds stakes in the London Spirit cricket franchise, former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen's YouTube channel, and an indoor golf league founded by professional golfer Rory McIlroy.
The tycoon recently played a round of golf with basketball legend LeBron James and regularly plays alongside Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar.
