Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group are in talks with a consortium fronted by Amit Bhatia over the sale of a minority stake in the club.
It has since emerged that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos – the world’s third richest person – has been approached to join the syndicate of investors.
We take a look at some of the key questions surrounding what could be one of the most extraordinary deals involving a Premier League club in recent times…
Who are Bhatia and Bezos?
Bhatia is a 46-year-old British Indian entrepreneur, who has an investment banking background.
He currently manages a multi-asset investment firm called AyBe Capital which invests in range of diversified sectors including technology, media, property and real estate, consumer retail, and health.
Bhatia is married to Vanisha Mittal Bhatia, who is the daughter of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal.
Bezos is one of the most famous businessmen in the world and the owner of e-commerce giant Amazon, which he founded in 1994 out of his Seattle garage.
His other investments include aerospace company Blue Origin and venture capital firm Nash Holdings, which is the ownership vehicle for The Washington Post.
What are they worth?
It’s unclear how much Bhatia himself is worth. But his father-in-law, billionaire steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, is worth an estimated £23.2bn according to Forbes. That makes him the 72nd richest person in the world.
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Sky News’ Mark Kleinman discusses Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ potential involvement in a consortium – led by former QPR co-owner Amit Bhatia – that is trying to buy a stake in Liverpool
Bezos is far wealthier than Mittal. Forbes estimates that his personal fortune is in the region of $245bn (£184bn), making him the third-richest person in the world behind Elon Musk and Google co-founder Larry Page.
What are their sporting interests?
Bhatia was just 28 when he joined the board of directors and became vice-chairman of QPR in 2007 after the Mittal family bought a 20 per cent stake in QPR, joining Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore as investors in the London club.
He spent five years as QPR chairman between 2018 and 2023 and stayed on as a director and co-owner until earlier this week when he transferred his stake in the club to majority owner Ruben Gnanalingam.
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Amit Bhatia is leading a consortium in an attempt to purchase a minority stake in Liverpool – we take a closer look at the former QPR co-owner
Through AyBe capital, Bhatia is an investor in TGL – Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods’ golf league which fuses golf and technology and features six teams with some of the best players in the world in a season-long competition.
His firm also invests in Switch Hitter, which is a media brand founded by Kevin Pietersen, delivering exclusive interviews and content with the world’s top cricketers.
Rajasthan Royals were one of the most sought-after IPL cricket franchises
Earlier this year, Bhatia’s father-in-law acquired a 75 per cent stake in the Rajasthan Royals Indian Premier League cricket franchise.
Bezos is a big American Football fan and has previously been reported to have explored bids for both the Washington Commanders and the Seattle Seahawks.
Amazon co-founder Jeff Bezos is known to be a big American Football fan
He is not known to hold a significant stake in any sports team or enterprise currently. Interestingly, he did attend the Round of 16 World Cup clash between USA and Belgium in Seattle earlier this month and was accompanied by his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos.
Why would FSG want to sell?
FSG are under no pressure to sell but did indicate in 2022 that they were open to new investment in Liverpool, with the sale of a small stake to Dynasty Equity completed the following year.
Liverpool have enjoyed huge success under FSG, lifting every major trophy available to win.
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Football finance expert Kieran Maguire explains what a ‘strategic minority stake’ is and if a potential deal could signal the end of Fenway Sports Group as Liverpool owners
FSG may think it’s mission accomplished somewhat as far they’re concerned and are therefore amenable to fresh investment. They also stand to make a huge profit on their initial investment – even if they sell a percentage stake in the club.
How much do Bhatia and Bezos want to buy and what could the deal be worth?
There is no confirmation of the stake in Liverpool that the consortium wants to buy, but reports indicate that it could be anything up to 30 per cent. What the deal would be worth depends entirely on the stake Bhatia and co are interesting in acquiring.
What is the club valued at?
Liverpool are the fourth most valuable club in the world. They have most recently been valued at £4.7bn by Forbes, behind Manchester United (£5.4bn), Barcelona (£5.6bn) and Real Madrid who are worth a whopping £7.1bn.
Who owns Liverpool?
FSG have complete control of Liverpool, but private equity firms RedBird Capital and Arctos Sports Partners both hold minority stakes in the club. Dynasty Equity are also passive investors in Liverpool after injecting £164m into the club in 2023.
The Anfield home of Liverpool Football Club
How much did FSG pay for Liverpool?
FSG were known as New England Sports Ventures when they paid £300m for Liverpool in October 2010 after a tumultuous period under former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillette.
When could the deal go ahead?
There is no timeframe as it stands, but the deal is still at a relatively early stage and it is expected that any potential transaction could take months rather than weeks to complete.
Who else is involved?
Bhatia has been confirmed as the person heading up the consortium. Sky News exclusively revealed that Bezos had been approached by Bhatia to join the investment group but the identity of any other potential investors is unknown at this stage.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: skynews.com
