Jeff Bezos group takes Liverpool FC stake with path to majority control
A consortium including Jeff Bezos has bought roughly a third of Liverpool FC and reportedly holds a 12-month option for majority control.
By Maya Okafor · Markets Writer
· 3 min read
A Jeff Bezos Liverpool FC stake has moved from talks to an agreement, according to CNBC: a consortium including the Amazon founder will become a minority owner of the Premier League club. For investors following the business of sports, the key detail is that the group reportedly has a route to take majority control within a year, though no takeover has occurred.
Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s existing owner, said Friday that it had reached a deal with the investor group. CNBC described the holding as roughly one-third of the club. Earlier reports from the BBC and The Athletic had characterized the parties as being in talks over about a 30% stake.
The consortium is called 1892 Holdings and is managed by Amit Bhatia, a former Queens Park Rangers co-owner, CNBC reported. Its other participants include K5 Sports and EE Capital, the family office of Elaine and Eduardo Saverin. CNBC said Bezos is involved through K5 Global, where he is the lead investor in a fund that contributed more than $1 billion to the reported minority investment.
When could the Bezos group control Liverpool FC?
CNBC, citing a person familiar with the matter, reported that 1892 Holdings has an option to become Liverpool’s majority shareholder during the next 12 months. An option gives a party the right, rather than an obligation, to pursue a later transaction under agreed conditions. The reporting does not say that the group has exercised that right or that Fenway Sports Group has surrendered control.
The ownership change is also expected to reshape Liverpool’s board. According to CNBC’s unnamed sources, Bhatia will become vice chairman and join an expanded board, alongside K5 Sports’ Bryan Baum and Elaine Saverin. Bezos will not have a board seat, CNBC reported. The investment group declined to comment.
What is the reported value of the Liverpool deal?
The financial figures in the available reporting do not line up, and should be treated as reported estimates rather than settled terms. CNBC cited people familiar with the matter who put the minority transaction at about $7.1 billion and said a potential majority deal could value the club at around $8 billion.
Before the agreement was reported, the BBC said a proposed 30% sale would bring Fenway Sports Group about £1.4 billion and imply a £4.5 billion valuation for Liverpool. The reports do not explain the difference between those figures.
What this means for Liverpool’s operating budget is also unclear. The available reporting does not establish whether the deal is a sale of Fenway Sports Group shares, new capital for the club, or a combination. The BBC quoted football-finance expert Kieran Maguire as saying that a straight share sale could have no direct financial effect on the club itself. It also reported that Premier League squad-cost rules tie spending capacity to commercially generated income, rather than an owner’s personal wealth.
Fenway Sports Group bought Liverpool for £300 million in 2010, according to the BBC. The club had already accepted outside investment: Dynasty Equity bought a 3% stake in 2023 for an undisclosed sum, the BBC reported.
This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.
