Bezos Liverpool stake talks have reportedly advanced, with a consortium involving Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin nearing a deal to acquire around one-third of the Premier League club.
The investment group is making headway in the talks with Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group (FSG) on Monday, according to multiple media outlets. The deal could be announced as early as this week, although neither Liverpool nor FSG has commented on the reports.
The consortium is being headed by Amit Bhatia, former shareholder at Championship club Queens Park Rangers and son in law of steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal. The investment, if realised, would reportedly make Liverpool the club with a valuation of £4.4 billion ($5.9 billion), making it one of the most valuable football teams of all time.
Amazon founder and owner Bezos is among the richest people in the world. The consortium has a lot of money to play with as Forbes puts his net worth at around $256 billion (£192 billion).
FSG took over Liverpool in 2010 and have been looking for investment opportunities outside the club in recent years while running the club. A sale at the price reported will have been for a good price as Liverpool’s financial worth has increased considerably during FSG’s tenure.
The stake by Bezos in Liverpool is not necessarily a majority stake, so it would not constitute control. The alternative was to lure big new investors in, but leave the Premier League outfit under the control of FSG. The prospect of investment is welcome for Liverpool as the sport’s clubs have seen high levels of interest from investors around the world wanting to get a piece of the action with a familiar sports brand.
A move that, if it goes through at the price stated, will mark yet another step in Liverpool’s development as a business and yet further efforts to demonstrate the economic worth of high quality Premier League sides.
