Fenway Sports Group has confirmed a definitive agreement to sell roughly 30% of Liverpool to 1892 Holdings, the consortium led by Amit Bhatia and backed by Jeff Bezos and Eduardo Saverin. The stake is understood to be worth £1.65bn, valuing the club at £5.5bn. FSG keep majority ownership and operational control, there is no new money for the squad, and nothing about the football changes this month. What has changed is that there is now a named group, seated on the board, with the means to buy the rest of it.
What was actually signed
The consortium takes its name from Liverpool's founding year. Bhatia, son-in-law of the steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, initiated and led the talks and becomes vice-chair of an expanded board. The backing comes from the Mittal Family Trust, the K5 Sports fund in which Bezos is the lead investor, and EE Capital, the family office of Elaine and Eduardo Saverin. Elaine Saverin and Bryan Baum of K5 take board seats. Bezos does not: he is a passive investor whose money is represented by Baum. The investment remains subject to regulatory approval, which could take up to 90 days.
Bhatia's route in required an exit elsewhere. He spent about 18 years at Queens Park Rangers as a director and co-owner, holding roles up to chair of the club and of its community trust, and transferred his shareholding last month, a step made necessary by the rules against holding an interest in more than one club.