Soccer-Amazon founder Bezos nears deal to buy stake in Liverpool, reports say

Aug 10 (Reuters) - A consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is close to agreeing a deal to acquire a stake of about one-third in Premier League club Liverpool, multiple media outlets reported on Monday.

The investor group also includes Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder, the reports said.

Sky News reported that the consortium is being led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal and a former shareholder in English Championship (second-tier) club Queens Park Rangers, and that Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group could announce a deal as early as this week.

"An investment consortium led, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club," an FSG spokesperson said last month.

The investment would reportedly value the club at approximately £4.4 billion ($5.9 billion), making it one of the biggest valuations ever achieved in a football club deal.

FSG, which acquired Liverpool in 2010, has explored outside investment in recent years while retaining control of the club. A deal at the reported valuation would underline the substantial increase in Liverpool's worth during FSG's 16-year ownership.

The investment comes at a time of significant change on and off the pitch at Anfield.

Liverpool finished a disappointing fifth in the Premier League last season despite spending about £446 million on new players.

The club subsequently parted ways with Dutch manager Arne Slot and appointed former Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola in a bid to revive their fortunes, while their talismanic Egypt forward Mohamed Salah has also departed.

Michael Edwards, widely credited with helping build the squad that won Liverpool's first domestic league title in 30 years in 2020, left his role as chief executive officer of football at Fenway Sports Group in July.

Liverpool, one of world football's most successful clubs, are also among the sport's most valuable and widely supported teams, with their iconic Anfield stadium at the heart of a global fan base.

They won a joint-record 20th English league title in the 2024-25 season. Their honours also include six European Cups, eight FA Cups, a record 10 League Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup.

Liverpool open their new Premier League season at Newcastle United on August 23.

($1 = 0.7410 pounds)

(Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru, additional reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare; editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)