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1892 Holdings has option to increase shareholdingGroup paid more than £2bn for initial 38% slice of club1892 Holdings, the new investor in Liverpool, has first refusal to become the majority shareholder in the next 12 months should Fenway Sports Group decide to sell.The consortium led by Amit Bhatia and including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was believed to have bought 30% to one-third of Liverpool when the deal was announced on Friday. However, the agreement is for 38% of the Anfield club, meaning 1892 has paid FSG just over £2bn to become minority shareholders. The increased stake, first reported by the Athletic, still values Liverpool at about £5.5bn.FSG also insisted on Friday that the deal with 1892 was not part of an exit strategy from a club it bought for £300m in 2010 and it was not compelled to sell more of Liverpool to the consortium at a future date. That remains the case but, should FSG decide to sell or reduce its shareholding in the next 12 months, then 1892 has an agreement in place that gives it the option to buy a controlling stake.Liverpool’s majority owner has stressed it is an option for 1892 over the next 12 months, one that could lead to further investment, and is not a formal commitment on its part. FSG remains in operational control of Liverpool. But it does raise the possibility of Bezos, Bhatia and the Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, another billionaire member of the consortium, replacing FSG as Liverpool’s majority shareholders in the near future.Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, is considered a passive investor in Liverpool at this stage, having bought into 1892 through the K5 Sports fund, of which he is the lead investor. Bryan Baum, the co-founder and managing partner of K5 Global, will have a seat on an expanded Liverpool board alongside Bhatia as vice-chair and Elaine Saverin, wife of Eduardo.Bhatia has received financial backing from the Mittal Family Trust to buy into Liverpool. His father-in-law is the Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, another billionaire. The Mittal family are worth around $17bn and Saverin an estimated $33bn.

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Confirmed deal values club as a whole at £5.5bnAmit Bhatia will become club’s new vice-chairmanLiverpool’s owner, Fenway Sports Group, has confirmed it has agreed the sale of 30% of the club to a consortium including Amit Bhatia, the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and the Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. The deal is understood to be worth £1.65bn, valuing Liverpool at £5.5bn, and will see Bhatia become the club’s new vice-chair on an expanded board.Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, initiated and led talks with FSG on behalf of the 1892 Holdings consortium, a reference to Liverpool’s founding year. The former co-owner of Queens Park Rangers has received financial backing from the Mittal Family Trust, the K5 Sports fund, of which Bezos is the lead investor, and EE Capital, the family office of Elaine and Eduardo Saverin.Elaine Saverin, wife of Eduardo, and Bryan Baum, co-founder and managing partner of K5 Global, will also join the Liverpool board. Bezos is considered a passive investor and will not have a seat on the board.Despite the involvement of Bezos, the third richest man in the world with $272bn (£201bn), Eduardo Saverin, worth an estimated $33bn and the Mittal family, worth around $17bn, FSG will remain in operational control of Liverpool as well as majority owners. 1892 Holdings’ investment remains subject to regulatory approval, which could take up to 90 days, and will have no impact on Liverpool’s transfer budget or strategy for this summer. There is also no change to the leadership or day-to-day running of Liverpool.FSG insist the deal is not part of an exit strategy from a club they acquired in 2010 for £300m after the near-ruinous ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett. The transaction does not compel FSG to sell more of the club to 1892 at a future date, or include obligations for 1892 to increase their stake, but it does give Bhatia’s consortium options to purchase more of Liverpool should the majority owners eventually decide to sell.It is the makeup of Bhatia’s consortium, rather than any financial need, that FSG claim attracted them to the British-Indian businessman’s proposal. The FSG leadership team of principal owner John W Henry, chair Tom Werner and president Mike Gordon have spent almost a year getting to know Bhatia and believe the deal will create further opportunities for Liverpool in global business, technology and investment, including in the important markets of India and Asia.Gordon, who has resumed a more hands-on role at Liverpool following the departure of Michael Edwards as chief executive of football at FSG, said: “Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season and making decisions with the club’s long-term interests in mind. That approach continues to attract interest from respected investors and business leaders around the world.“As we considered this opportunity, it became clear that Amit and the consortium shared our long-term philosophy and appreciation for what makes Liverpool special. Their experience and perspective will complement the strong foundation already in place, and we look forward to working together.”With Premier League and Uefa financial regulations linking a club’s spending to turnover, the new investment will not have an immediate benefit for head coach Andoni Iraola and his Liverpool team. However, the commercial opportunities presented by the involvement of Bezos, Bhatia and Saverin will enable the Anfield club to grow their annual revenue significantly. Liverpool’s annual revenue increased to a record £703m in the year ending May 2025.Speaking on behalf of 1892 Holdings, Bhatia said: “We are incredibly proud to be investing in Liverpool Football Club and to be doing so alongside FSG. We have the utmost respect and admiration for FSG as owners and for everything they have achieved at Anfield.“To be welcomed as a partner in a club of this stature is a huge privilege. We are making this investment because we believe deeply in Liverpool and its leadership, and we look forward to supporting the club’s continued success for years to come.”Bhatia was involved in QPR for almost 19 years and took on numerous roles, from chair of the club to chair of the club’s community trust, until transferring his shareholding in July. He is likely to have a more visible presence at Anfield than fellow members of his consortium or FSG.