Liverpool's owners Fenway Sports Group have confirmed a definitive agreement to sell a minority stake, understood to be around one third of the club, to a consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, in a deal reported to value the Premier League side at between five and seven billion pounds.
The consortium, named 1892 Holdings, is led by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia, previously a long-serving co-owner of Queens Park Rangers, and also includes the Mittal Family Trusts, EE Capital and the K5 Sports fund, through which Bezos is investing as lead backer. Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is also part of the group.
FSG president Mike Gordon said the club had always been built around long-term thinking, and that the consortium shared that outlook. "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, son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, will become Liverpool's vice chairman and join an expanded board, alongside Eduardo Saverin's wife Elaine and K5 Sports founder Bryan Baum, subject to regulatory approval. Bezos himself will not take a board seat, according to a source familiar with the deal.
"We have the utmost respect and admiration for FSG as owners and for everything they have achieved at Anfield," Bhatia said. "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."
FSG, which bought Liverpool for around £300m in 2010 when the club was described as being on the brink of bankruptcy, will retain majority ownership and full operational control. The proposed sale is estimated to bring FSG in excess of £1.5bn, roughly five times the club's original purchase price under American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Bezos, the world's fourth-richest person with an estimated fortune above $250bn, stepped down as Amazon's chief executive several years ago but remains a major shareholder. He also owns aerospace firm Blue Origin, venture capital outfit Nash Holdings and the Washington Post, and more recently founded the artificial intelligence company Prometheus.
The Liverpool deal marks his first confirmed move into sports ownership, having previously been linked with NFL franchises including the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, both of which sold for considerably more than his reported outlay here. Football authorities, including the sport's new independent regulator, must still approve the investors before the transaction is completed.
The club has continued to spend heavily regardless of the ownership talks, committing around £500m to new signings over the past year, with BBC Sport reporting the investment carries no separate transfer budget and will not affect transfer strategy. Liverpool became the Premier League's top earner in January, with record revenues of £703m for 2024-25.
Liverpool, champions a joint-record 20 times, finished fifth in the Premier League last season and open their new campaign away at Newcastle United on 23 August.