According to a report by The Athletic, a consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has acquired about 40 percent of shares in the Premier League football giant Liverpool.
It was previously reported that 1892 Holdings bought one-third of the club from Fenway Sports Group, the owner of Liverpool, who has won the English championship 20 times; however, The Athletic clarified that the actual stake is closer to 38 percent. Furthermore, there is a possibility for the consortium to acquire a controlling stake in Liverpool within the next twelve months, although this has not yet been formalized.
American FSG confirmed on Friday that it agreed to this deal with 1892 Holdings. This consortium is headed by British-Indian millionaire Amit Bhatia and also includes Jeff Bezos and Eduardo Saverin, who co-founded Facebook.
Bezos, the American magnate, ranks fourth in the world by net worth, which is estimated at $256 billion. This is Bezos's first investment in a sports team after previously being linked to the potential purchase of NFL franchises for the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders.
Amit Bhatia, son-in-law of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, previously owned QPR for 18 years before stepping away from the English league after his connection to Liverpool became known.
FSG acquired Liverpool in 2010 for $406 million and sold a minority stake of about three percent to the global sports investment firm Dynasty Equity three years ago.
Liverpool will start its Premier League campaign against Newcastle on Sunday. The team aims to recover its position after a disappointing fifth place in the top division last season. This failure led to Arne Slot's dismissal as Liverpool manager just 12 months after he achieved the Premier League championship in his first season following Jürgen Klopp's departure.
With several weeks remaining before the Premier League transfer window closes, the new investment could provide support for the Reds' coach, Andoni Iraola, as he works to strengthen his squad for the new season. Liverpool spent about £94 million at the start of the season to acquire Jeremy Jakke and Victor Muñoz from the end of last season.