UPDATE, August 14, 9.17 a.m. PT: Liverpool have confirmed Jeff Bezos and Eduardo Saverin are among a group that has acquired a minority stake in the English football giants.
The club’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, said it has sold a shareholding to 1892 Holdings, a consortium led and managed by Amit Bhatia.
This group include investments from Bhatia, who is the former chairman of Queens Park Rangers, and the Mittal Family Trusts and K5 Sports; Amazon owner Bezos as the lead investor from K5 Global fund K5 Sports; and EE Capital, the family office of Facebook co-founder Saverin and his wife Elaine.
“Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season and making decisions with the club’s long-term interests in mind,” said Mike Gordon, FSG President. “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.”
Bhatia, speaking on behalf of 1892 Holdings, added: “We are incredibly proud to be investing in Liverpool Football Club and to be doing so alongside FSG. 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.”
Corestone Capital Advisors introduced the parties and facilitated the deal. Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP served as legal advisor to FSG and Liverpool, with support services provided by Deloitte. Latham & Watkins LLP served as legal advisor to 1892 Holdings, with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Moelis & Company providing support and advisory services. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe and Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton served as legal advisors to the K5 Sports fund and its lead investor. Clifford Chance LLP served as legal advisors to EE Capital.
The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
PREVIOUS, August 10, 4.08 a.m. PT: Jeff Bezos and Eduardo Saverin look set to become the latest tech giants entering the English football world.
The pair are part of a consortium that is set to buy a stake in 20-time English league winners Liverpool, according to a report from Sky News.
News of the deal first emerged last month, and Sky News business editor Mark Kleinman is now reporting that an agreement on a 30% stake is close to being announced by current owner Fenway Sports Group (FSG), which also owns the likes of the Boston Red Sox. We have contacted Amazon, Saverin’s B Capital and FSG for comment.
The consortium is being led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal. Bhatia was until recently a major shareholder and boardroom player at English Championship side Queens Park Rangers, but sold his shares on the same day in initial report about the Liverpool deal emerged.
Liverpool are one of English footballs’ best-supported teams, having won multiple top division titles, especially in the 1970s and 1980s, and six European Cups – more than anyone else in the UK. They most recently won the Premier League in 2024-25, but finished a disappointing fifth, 25 points behind champions Arsenal.
Bezos has previously explored deals for the likes of the Seattle Seahawks, but this would represent the Amazon founder’s first major move into sports team ownership. His wealth is currently estimated at close to $300B.
Amazon streamer Prime Video has been investing in Premier League rights over recent years, and it is not immediately clear whether an investor with an ownership stake in a broadcaster can also own a piece of a team in that division.
Saverin, who co-founded Facebook alongside Mark Zuckerberg, now runs private equity company B Capital. He was previously part of a group that looked to take over Liverpool rivals Chelsea in 2022, but this would also represent a first move in the sports space. His wealth is estimated at over $30B.
Saverin left Facebook in 2005 when Zuckerberg effectively diluted his shares and relieved him of active duty – a situation that played out in Aaron Sorkin’s movie The Social Network, with Andrew Garfield playing the Brazilian-born Saverin opposite Jesse Eisenberg’s Zuckerberg.
Sky News reported FSG plans to make an announcement on the deal in “coming days,” but that this could push into next week. It will value Liverpool at $6B, making it one of the biggest investments in football history.
The news comes at a very delicate time for world football, with European association UEFA effectively at war with world governing body FIFA, whose President Gianni Infantino has faced a barrage of criticism after announcing a plan to sell off stakes in the World Cup to the likes of Joshua Kushner, the brother of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The plan was scrapped after UEFA and several other bodies rejected the plan. Infantino has been urged to resign, but it appears he has the support to continue in the role, at least for now.