SerpApi.Org
Fenway Sports Group is in talks to sell a stake in Liverpool to a consortium that has the backing of one of the world’s richest families.
FSG bought Liverpool for £300m in October 2010 but the consortium – which is led by Amit Bhatia and would be funded in part by the Mittal family – is looking for a percentage that would value Liverpool at $6bn (£4.5bn).
Bhatia stepped down as co-owner and director of Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday after 18 years.
Telegraph Sport spoke to sources who stressed that no deal had been completed and this is not a sign that FSG is looking to dilute its interest in Liverpool.
It is, nonetheless, an important development and underlines what needs to be done to remain competitive at the highest level.
In September 2023, FSG sold 4 per cent of its stake to Dynasty Equity, a global sports investment firm, worth in the region of £80m to £160m. It had always been the wish of John W Henry, the principal figure in FSG, to bring financial backing in, but at no point has the group considered surrendering day-to-day control of the club.
This would be a similar situation if negotiations can be successfully concluded with Bhatia and his consortium. The eye-catching strand to this development is the fact the Mittal family, whose wealth is estimated to be close to $31.3bn (£23.4bn), are involved.
Bhatia is the son-in-law of Lakshmi Mittal, the 76-year-old steel magnate, and Telegraph Sport understands Bhatia has hired advisers to work on the offer, with the ambition of concluding a deal.
A spokesperson for FSG told Telegraph Sport: “An investment consortium led, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club.”
The Financial Times reported that Bhatia had declined to comment when approached. The two sides are not close to coming to an agreement and it remains to be seen whether a deal can be completed.
What is remarkable is how much Liverpool’s value has increased in the 16 years that FSG has been in charge. There have been stories in the past that it was preparing to sell but, consistently, its approach has never changed and it does not want to cash in completely.
But Henry, along with FSG president Mike Gordon and chairman Tom Werner, have always wanted to find ways of ensuring Liverpool have the financial capabilities to fight for the biggest trophies and potentially selling a portion to Bhatia would make a lot of sense.
Any investment would be the latest big-money injection into Premier League football. Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital Partners bought Chelsea for £2.5bn from Roman Abramovich in 2022 after the Russian oligarch was hit with sanctions by the UK Government, while Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a 27.7 per cent share of Manchester United in 2023 for £1.25bn that valued the club at more than £4.97bn.
The recent sale of Seattle Seahawks, who were this month sold to Vinod Khosla in an NFL franchise record $9.36bn deal, fell just short of the world record for a sporting takeover, when the LA Lakers were bought last year for $10bn. But Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, the Manchester City chairman, said last month that any takeover attempt of the Premier League club would need to hit their $10bn valuation.
