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Midfielder has been a target for Italians since JanuaryJones in the final year of his contract at AnfieldInter are in talks with Liverpool over a deal for Curtis Jones, with the 25-year-old expected to leave his boyhood club should the Italian champions offer around £30m. Jones has been a target for Inter since January and was the subject of a failed €25m bid from them in June.Liverpool valued their homegrown midfielder closer to €40m, but with Jones in the final year of his contract, and no sign of an agreement over an extension, that figure is unlikely to be reached.Intermediaries representing Inter contacted Liverpool in July with a proposal to pay up to €35m (£30m) for Jones. Negotiations between the clubs commenced on Wednesday. No agreement has been reached, but should Inter go to €35m as has been suggested, Liverpool are likely to sanction Jones’s departure. Inter’s willingness to pay Tottenham €35m for Djed Spence last week is seen as a benchmark figure for the Jones deal.Jones, who has played six times for England, has been at Liverpool since the age of nine, but has been unable to secure a regular first-team starting role and cut a frustrated figure at times last season under Arne Slot.Andoni Iraola, Slot’s replacement as head coach, spoke at his unveiling about the importance of keeping the Toxteth-born midfielder and of having a local identity in his team. But Inter’s determined pursuit and the risk of losing the player on a free transfer next summer have also to be factored in by Liverpool.

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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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Andoni Iraola and Milos Kerkez of Liverpool Photograph: Becky Oliver/LFC/Liverpool FC/Getty ImagesAndoni Iraola has his hands full – replacing Mo Salah and restoring faith at Anfield – and will hope big name investors bring stability not disharmonyGuardian writers’ predicted position: 4th (NB: this is not necessarily Andy Hunter’s prediction but the average of our writers’ tips)Andoni Iraola did not have to be sold on Liverpool when they came calling for a coach courted also by Milan, Bayer Leverkusen and Crystal Palace after his sterling work at Bournemouth. This is just as well as the sales pitch did not come with bells and whistles attached. “When I came here, the owners told me everything is not perfect,” the new head coach revealed at his unveiling. “They said we would have some challenges, we would have to replace important players leaving, we have some injuries, but we are here to solve these kind of problems.” Validating last summer’s expensive recruitment strategy, restoring the faith of the Anfield crowd and rebuilding in an impatient environment can be added to that list.Liverpool were enticed by Iraola’s style of play, but his ability to step back and problem-solve – taking Bournemouth into Europe last season despite losing most of his defence in the summer and Antoine Semenyo in January, for example – will have also appealed. Arne Slot was assailed by unprecedented challenges last season, including the death of Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah’s attempts to undermine his manager in public, and lost his way as a result. How much of last season’s regression can be pinned on the former head coach will become apparent in the months ahead.Similarly to Slot in 2024, Iraola has been bequeathed a rich inheritance in terms of individual talent. Unlike his predecessor, however, he is starting from a lower base in terms of constructing a team. With Salah gone and no replacement installed, as yet, responsibility has increased on Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak to produce after their underwhelming debut seasons. Wirtz has been deployed just behind Isak in pre-season and the early signs have been promising. Central midfield options are strong and Dominik Szoboszlai’s new five-year contract removes one distraction. Questions remain over Liverpool’s threat from out wide, their defensive resources and leadership within the team, but having worked towards this moment throughout his coaching career Iraola will be confident of finding answers.In contrast to last summer there has been more upheaval behind the scenes with a change of head coach, Michael Edwards departing as chief executive of football for the owners, Fenway Sports Group, and the sporting director, Richard Hughes, expected to follow suit once the transfer window closes. But one issue dominates: the arrival of the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and Amit Bhatia, son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, as part of a consortium that has bought 30% of Liverpool for £1.65bn. That several of the world’s richest people have bought into Liverpool underlines the attractiveness of the club, commercially and otherwise, but beyond Bhatia becoming vice-chairman on an expanded board it remains to be seen what the deal truly means for the club and its fans.FSG’s habit of annoying and then appeasing the Liverpool fanbase returned last season when it abandoned plans to lock in ticket prices rises over a three-year period. The owners were thanked for engaging with supporters, after widespread protests , but there are now weightier conversations to be had in light of their deal with the 1892 Holdings consortium. As the supporters union, Spirit of Shankly, asked in an open letter: “Is this part of a planned wider sale, or a one-off? What due diligence is being done on the potential investors/owners? This is about their plans, reasons for purchase and involvement in sports or business elsewhere.” FSG insist the deal is not an exit strategy from a club they purchased for £300m in 2010 but will increase global business, technology and investment opportunities.After sacking Slot it was no surprise Liverpool turned to a coach who promises the kind of aggressive, front-foot style Anfield openly pined for last season. Iraola, who was lured from Rayo Vallecano by Hughes when the Liverpool sporting director worked for Bournemouth, was the only candidate Liverpool spoke to in their quick transition from the Slot era. The 44-year-old Basque has no silverware, or even European experience on his CV, but his record of consistently improving attractive teams, which resulted in Bournemouth qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history last season, made him one of the most coveted coaches available this summer.Liverpool had a weird, erratic campaign in 2025-26. Only Aston Villa and Manchester City had a longer run of Premier League wins yet only four teams (including Chelsea and Tottenham) had a worse losing streak. Their four-draw stretch in January was only topped by Bournemouth and Brentford. Iraola was unbeaten in his final 18 league matches last season and will need to bring similar consistency to Liverpool.Liverpool would love the answer to be Bradley Barcola (and for Paris Saint-Germain to lower their asking price for the France international) but as that pursuit continues it is another arrival from Ligue 1 who could prove their most important recruit so far, Jérémy Jacquet. A £55m deal rising to £60m was completed with Rennes in February, just days before the 21-year-old sustained a shoulder injury that ended his season, after Liverpool had been in the market for a young central defender with vast potential for some time. Jacquet’s recovery has affected his first pre-season at Anfield, but he is considered an immediate, if inexperienced, solution to a problem position and impressed on his first outing against Como.There may be more opportunities for Rio Ngumoha depending on how Liverpool’s winger chase goes, but, of all the young talents on display this summer, no one pushed their claims further than Trey Nyoni. Nyoni and Ngumoha were part of Slot’s stretched first team squad last season, but the former’s involvement was limited to six substitute appearances in the Premier League plus eight cup outings. The 19-year-old looked immediately at ease in pre-season with Iraola’s instructions for quick, forward passes from his central midfielders and embraced responsibility. Nyoni faces fierce competition to establish himself, but appears ready to make the step up.The first pre-season is hugely important to a new coach, but post-World Cup holidays deprived Iraola of eight players when Liverpool reported back. He will have had a full squad together for three weeks by the time the season starts at Newcastle, injuries excluded. The tournament brought deflating exits for several Liverpool players, including Virgil van Dijk, Alisson and Florian Wirtz, but also a welcome reminder of Alexis Mac Allister’s talents as the midfielder helped Argentina reach a second successive final. Mac Allister was not alone in struggling last season, but showed this summer just how influential he can be.

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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.