LIVERPOOL OWNERS CLOSE TO €1.58BN SALE OF 30% STAKE TO CONSORTIUM INCLUDING JEFF BEZOS

Group including Amazon founder has held talks with Fenway Sports Group

It is understood the deal is effectively agreed but may take up to a month to complete. Photograph: Jan Kruger/Getty Images

A consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is close to completing a deal for a 30 per cent stake in Liverpool after months of talks with Fenway Sports Group.

The investors are led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, who previously was a shareholder at Queens Park Rangers. Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is another member of the group who are set to pay in the region of £1.35 billion (€1.58 billion) for almost a third of the Premier League club. It is understood the deal is effectively agreed but may take up to a month to complete.

Bezos has a personal fortune of around $257 billion (€223 billion), according to Forbes, making him the fourth-richest person in the world, while Saverin is reportedly worth $32 billion (€28 billion). This will be Bezos’ first investment in football but he has previously looked into bidding for NFL franchises. The 62-year-old will receive equity as part of the deal, which it is understood Deloitte has advised on.

Bezos is the executive chair of Amazon having relinquished day-to-day control when he stepped down as chief executive five years ago. Under his leadership the online retailer has looked to diversify as an entertainment provider in recent years and has bought numerous sports rights for its streaming service.

Amazon had live UK rights for 20 Premier League games each season for six seasons until the end of last year, and broadcasts the Champions League in several European countries, as well as NFL in the US.

FSG bought the Merseyside club in 2010 and have overseen an era which has included two Premier League titles. FSG previously sold 3 per cent of the club to the US private equity firm Dynasty Equity in 2023.

It has been a summer of change at Anfield, with Andoni Iraola replacing Arne Slot as head coach, while Mohamed Salah left on a free transfer and has since joined Trabzonspor. Meanwhile, Michael Edwards departed his role as chief executive officer at FSG.

FSG has been approached for comment. 

– Guardian

- Will Unwin

LIVERPOOL RECEIVE OFFER FOR MINORITY STAKE FROM CONSORTIUM LED BY AMIT BHATIA WHICH COULD TAKE REDS' VALUE PAST £4.5BILLION - WITH BUSINESSMAN QUITTING ROLE AS QPR CO-OWNER

 

Businessman Amit Bhatia is part of a consortium in talks to buy a small stake in Liverpool

British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia is part of a consortium in talks to buy a small stake in Liverpool that could take the club’s value to north of £4.5billion

Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, was co-owner at Championship side Queens Park Rangers – and has a stand named after him at Loftus Road – before surprisingly stepping down from their ownership setup on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group said in a statement: ‘An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club.’

Nothing is official yet and, if it was to proceed, it would follow a similar structure to a deal made three years ago when FSG sold a small stake to sports investment firm Dynasty.

Liverpool are currently in Chicago as they begin their pre-season tour of the USA. 

Andoni Iraola's side play Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday, followed by Wrexham in New York and Leeds back in Chicago, before returning home at the start of August.

- LEWIS STEELE

LIVERPOOL’S FSG OWNERS PULL OUT OF TALKS TO BUY BORDEAUX

 

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) will not purchase Girondins de Bordeaux, it has been confirmed. Liverpool’s owners have pulled out of talks to buy the French club, provisionally relegated to the National 1, the third tier of French football. 

The DNCG, French football’s financial watchdog, provisionally relegated Bordeaux to the third tier of French football last week. In the wake of that decision, it was announced that Bordeaux, as expected, would contest the ruling, but it was also announced that FSG were in discussions to purchase the club. Not only that, but a member of counsel from FSG was even present at the DNCG meeting, whilst John Henry had also taken part in meetings regarding the takeover.

However, both FSG and Bordeaux have now confirmed in separate statements that there will not be a takeover. “FC Girondins de Bordeaux and their owner have been informed by Fenway Sports Group of their intention to not continue in talks, which have been ongoing in recent weeks, regarding the purchase of the club. This decision is notably due to the considerable cost of the stadium in the coming years but also the general economic context of French football,” began Bordeaux’s statement. 

FSG ‘disappointed’ not to have found agreement

“Girondins de Bordeaux and Gérard Lopez thank Fenway Sports Group for the interest that they have shown in the club, as well as their teams, who have travelled to meet the relevant parties. The club and its owner are now putting all of their energy into the finalisation of the financial plan for the 2024/25 season, in view of the appeal hearing,” added the statement. 

FSG confirmed the failure of the talks. “Despite our disappointment at having not found a favourable outcome, we wish the club and its supporters the best possible future,” concluded the statement from Liverpool’s owners. The breakdown in negotiations leaves Bordeaux in a precarious position as they look to appeal their provisional relegation next week and retake their place in Ligue 2 ahead of the upcoming season. 

LIVERPOOL KEEP OR DUMP: SALAH, VAN DIJK, NÚÑEZ TO MOVE ON?

Virgil van Dijk, left, and Mohamed Salah, right, are two of the more senior players in the Liverpool squad. Could they be on their way out soon? (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

 This is a big summer at Liverpool because so much has changed. It's not just Jurgen Klopp moving on after nearly nine seasons, but also at the very top of the club, with Michael Edwards and Julian Ward returning and Richard Hughes coming in as sporting director. Edwards, previously sporting director, comes back as chief executive of football, while Julian Ward, who succeeded Edwards as sporting director, is now technical director for all of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool's owner.

It's not just a question of titles, either. Ward and Edwards were hailed as the architects of some of the club's most successful transfer campaigns, offering the yin to Klopp's yang. When they left, the power shifted to the manager, and with Klopp gone and a comparatively inexperienced Arne Slot coming in as manager, it feels as if this is partly a re-balancing.

FSG were willing to put up all or part of the club for sale not long ago, selling a minority stake to Dynasty Equity in September, and some will conclude that is a sign they want to avoid big transfers and look for value instead. That may be true, but there is definitely room to invest while staying within profit and sustainability rules (PSR) given the club has basically operated at breakeven in the past few seasons.

They might need that room, too. There is a ton of uncertainty in this squad, starting with the three players who become free agents in less than a year: Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Salah and Van Dijk -- given their service to the club -- will likely be given plenty of latitude and the power to make their own decisions. Alexander-Arnold is more intriguing, given the other two are well into their 30s. He's just 25, he has had his ups and downs, he's the local kid made good and optics matter. And yet, for him to be most effective, the system has to cater to him.

Defensive midfield is also a major question mark, and while there's plenty of depth in some roles, there's far less in others. And, of course, any decision has to be made with Slot's preferences and style of play in mind. He shares some of Klopp's outlook on football, but there are also significant differences.

Editor's note: This is the third in this year's series, Keep or Dump, over the coming weeks on which players to keep, extend and move on from for all the top clubs in the Premier League and Europe. Find the Man City version here and the Arsenal version here.

KEEP/DUMP GROUND RULES

Remember: This is our assessment of what we think the club should do, player for player, with the squad at their disposal. It's not what we think they will actually do, though sometimes the two will align. That said, we take into account what we know of the club, coaching staff and player preferences, as well as their financial situation and any other factors that we think will impact personnel moves.

Where we disagree, or where we think our rationale is worth explaining, we've noted below.

GOALKEEPERS

Alisson (31 years old, contract expires in 2027)

Verdict: Keep

LIVERPOOL CONSIDER SLOT AS KLOPP'S REPLACEMENT

 Liverpool have identified Feyenoord coach Arne Slot as a leading candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp as manager after cooling their interest in Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim, sources have told ESPN.

With top target Xabi Alonso last month ruling himself out of the running for a return to the club he represented as a player by choosing to stay with newly crowned Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen, Slot has emerged ahead of Amorim and Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi in the race to replace Klopp.

However, sources have said that Liverpool expect a battle with Barcelona and Bayern Munich to appoint Slot and are therefore planning to continue to assess other candidates.

Klopp, who has won the Champions League and Premier League with Liverpool since replacing Brendan Rodgers at Anfield in October 2015, announced in January that he will step down from his position at the end of this season.

Following Klopp's surprise announcement -- the 56-year-old informed Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) of his decision last November -- Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan said that the club would take a "data-led" approach to finding a new manager.

Former sporting director Michael Edwards returned to Anfield last month as head of football operations with the responsibility of identifying and hiring Klopp's successor, and sources have told ESPN that Slot, who guided Feyenoord to the Dutch title last season, has become a strong contender to land the Liverpool job.

Slot, 45, rejected Premier League advances from both Chelsea and Tottenham last season in order to remain at Feyenoord. He signed a new three-year contract with the Rotterdam-based team in May 2023, thereby committing himself to the club until 2026.

Sources have told ESPN that the Liverpool hierarchy, led by Edwards and Hogan, believes that Slot fits all of its criteria in terms of style of play, personality and ability to work within the club's structure.

There is an acceptance within Anfield that Feyenoord will attempt to hold onto Slot, but there is also a hope that the lure of the Premier League could prompt the former AZ Alkmaar coach to take the opportunity to move to England.

Liverpool are second in the Premier League, level on points with leaders Arsenal, and face a derby clash against Merseyside rivals Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday.

- Mark Ogden, Senior Writer, ESPN FC