The Sports Guru
Jeff Bezos has been here before, twice circling major American sports franchises before walking away without a bid. Now his name is attached to a consortium advancing talks over a stake in Liverpool, and this piece explains who else is involved, what has already changed hands at Anfield, and why the world's fourth-richest man's track record makes this deal worth watching rather than assuming.
A billionaire with two abandoned sports courtships behind him is now advancing talks over Liverpool. Jeff Bezos has previously explored buying an NFL franchise and a Super Bowl-winning team without ever putting in an offer, which makes the news that his consortium has moved forward on a roughly 30% stake in the Reds a genuinely open question rather than a formality. BBC Sport has been told the group, fronted by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia and also including Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, has advanced its talks with owners Fenway Sports Group. Whether that history repeats itself or breaks is the story here.
A pattern of near-misses
Bezos stepped down as Amazon's chief executive in 2021 to become executive chairman, though he still owns 8% of the company he founded. He also owns The Washington Post and the aerospace firm Blue Origin, and was ranked the world's richest person in 2021. According to Forbes, he is now the fourth-richest person alive, with an estimated net worth of $256bn (£192bn).
None of that has previously translated into sports club ownership. In 2023, Bezos was linked with a takeover of the NFL's Washington Commanders after owner Daniel Snyder put the franchise up for sale. He had also previously explored buying the Seattle Seahawks, a team that has won a Super Bowl. In both cases, Bezos ultimately decided against submitting an offer. That is the context against which the Liverpool talks now sit: two prior approaches to major sports ownership that reached the exploratory stage and stopped there.
Who is actually in the room
Bezos is not the consortium's public face. That role belongs to Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, who spent 18 years as a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers before relinquishing his stake in the club last month. Saverin, the Facebook co-founder, is also part of the group. FSG confirmed last month that the consortium had "expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club," language that stops well short of confirming a deal but does confirm the club's owners are engaging with the approach.
The involvement of three separate high-net-worth figures, each with their own commercial history outside football, is worth pausing on. Bhatia's QPR exit last month and this advancing interest in Liverpool happened within weeks of each other, which at minimum suggests a consortium moving with some urgency rather than casually testing the water.
What FSG has already sold
Fenway Sports Group bought Liverpool in a £300m deal in 2010. The club's ownership structure has already been diluted once since then: FSG previously sold a minority stake in the Anfield side to global sports investment firm Dynasty Equity. A further 30% sale to the Bhatia-led consortium would represent a second significant reduction in FSG's holding inside three years, a pattern that points toward an American ownership group increasingly comfortable bringing in outside capital rather than running the club as a closed shop.
What a 30% stake would actually change
It is worth being precise about what is and is not on the table. A roughly 30% investment, even one involving a figure as prominent as Bezos, would not on its own hand the consortium control of Liverpool; FSG has not been reported as selling a majority holding. What it would do is bring a second wave of significant outside capital into the club within a short window, on top of the Dynasty Equity sale, and it would place Bezos's name and financial weight alongside a club rather than a standalone franchise for the first time. Given that his two prior sports approaches did not result in a purchase, the more interesting question may not be the size of the stake but whether this is the approach that finally converts talks into a signed deal.
Why now, and why Liverpool
The BBC report frames Bezos as someone who "now looks set to enter the sporting arena with Liverpool" after twice deciding against NFL ownership, which is a notably more advanced position than either American approach reached. That framing matters. Exploring a franchise and declining to bid is one thing; a consortium advancing stake talks with an existing top-flight club, led by a partner with 18 years of prior club ownership experience in Bhatia, is a different order of commitment. Whether that translates into completed paperwork remains to be seen, but the process appears further along than either of Bezos's American flirtations ever got.
The verdict for now
Nothing here confirms a finished deal. FSG's own language, "expressed interest," is careful, and the BBC's description of talks having "advanced" is a status update rather than an announcement. But the combination of Bhatia's timing, Saverin's involvement, and Bezos's genuine wealth advantage over his previous sports pursuits, he is currently the fourth-richest person on the planet, makes this the most concrete sports ownership approach he has been linked to. Liverpool fans watching FSG's ownership structure evolve for a second time in three years now have a specific name to track rather than a vague rumour.
Frequently Asked Questions
BBC Sport has been told the group is in advanced talks for about a 30% stake, which FSG has described only as a "strategic minority investment."
The group is fronted by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia, who spent 18 years as a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers, and also includes Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
Yes. In 2023 he was linked with a takeover of the NFL's Washington Commanders and had previously explored buying the Seattle Seahawks, but he decided against submitting an offer in both cases.
Not based on what has been reported. A roughly 30% stake would be a significant minority investment, but Fenway Sports Group has not been reported as selling a majority holding in the club.
Yes. FSG, who bought Liverpool for £300m in 2010, previously sold a minority stake in the club to sports investment firm Dynasty Equity.
Research: This article uses the archived evidence supplied for this story. Story inspiration: BBC Sport's original report.