Bezos Eyes Liverpool FC Stake
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, is said to be in discussions about acquiring a 30% ownership in Liverpool FC, one of the most iconic football clubs in England.
The bid is reportedly being organized by Amit Bhatia, former co-owner of Queens Park Rangers, who has submitted an initial proposal of £1.35 billion (approximately $1.8 billion) aimed at acquiring a share of Fenway Sports Group. The Guardian has provided coverage on this development.
This valuation would set Liverpool FC at about $6 billion, which surpasses the roughly $1.65 billion that Sir Jim Ratcliffe paid for nearly a 30% stake in Manchester United a couple of years ago.
According to The Guardian, Bhatia’s group is currently seeking additional investors to help finance this deal.
A representative from Fenway Sports Group confirmed interest from a consortium led by Bhatia, but they refrained from commenting on Bezos’s involvement.
Amazon has not yet responded to inquiries for comment on the matter.
This isn’t Bezos’s first foray into sports ownership discussions. He was previously linked to potential ownership of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, though no agreements were finalized.
For the first time, Bezos, who is 62 years old and has a net worth of approximately $252.6 billion according to Forbes, is exploring a stake in the Premier League, a league renowned for its viewership and enthusiastic fan base in Britain.
There’s been a noteworthy trend of affluent individuals, who accumulated their wealth outside of sports, investing in high-value sports franchises.
Notable examples include Bernard Arnault, the 77-year-old owner of luxury conglomerate LVMH, who recently purchased a majority stake in Paris FC for around $100 million. Steve Ballmer, ex-CEO of Microsoft, bought the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers for $2 billion in 2014, while Walmart heir Rob Walton acquired the Denver Broncos in 2022 for a staggering $4.65 billion.
In a recent report, tech billionaire Vinod Khosla and his family are said to have reached a $9.6 billion deal to buy the Seattle Seahawks, marking one of the highest valuations in sports history.
The Guardian has also indicated that Bhatia is gaining financial backing from his father-in-law, Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian tycoon with a fortune exceeding $30 billion, as the consortium seeks new investment opportunities.
On Tuesday, Bhatia resigned from his role as director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers, transferring his shares to fellow owner Reuben Nannalingam to focus on the Liverpool bid.
In 2023, Fenway Sports Group is slated to sell a 3% stake in Liverpool to private equity firm Dynasty Equity.
Bezos stepped down as Amazon’s CEO five years ago and currently serves as the chairman of its board. Recently, Amazon has intensified its acquisition of sports broadcasting rights, particularly for its streaming platform, Amazon Prime, including the UK’s Premier League, Champions League matches in Europe, and NFL games in the U.S.
