Jeff Bezos is nearing a deal to buy a stake in Liverpool Football Club, joining a consortium that includes Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, according to reports. The investment group, led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, is said to be negotiating for more than the 30% stake initially reported, and Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owner since 2010, could announce an agreement within days.
The transaction would value the reigning Premier League champions at 4.4 billion pounds, or about 5.15 billion euros, according to Sky News and Al Jazeera, one of the highest figures ever attached to a football club. The scale of the deal is thrown into relief by history: Fenway Sports Group bought Liverpool for just 300 million pounds. Neither the club nor its owners have commented on the reports.
For Bezos, the move would mark his first venture into sports ownership. The Amazon founder had previously explored bids for two NFL teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Commanders, before deciding against pursuing either. A stake in Liverpool would place him among a growing roster of American billionaires with holdings in English football.
That list has lengthened quickly in recent years. Mark Walter owns Chelsea alongside Todd Boehly and majority shareholder Clearlake Capital. Woody Johnson holds a stake in Crystal Palace, where Josh Harris and David Blitzer are already in control. Bill Foley and the actor Michael B. Jordan have stakes in Bournemouth, while the Friedkin Group, led by Dan Friedkin, owns a majority of Everton.
Several forces are driving the trend. Football’s popularity has surged in the United States even as leagues such as the NFL and Major League Baseball grow more expensive or closed to new buyers, leaving Premier League clubs comparatively affordable for tech and finance fortunes. The success of shows like “Welcome to Wrexham” and “Ted Lasso” has added to the appeal. The interest is spilling beyond football, too: American groups have moved into English rugby and cricket, while Austria’s Red Bull has taken full ownership of the club now known as Newcastle Red Bulls.
