Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the owner of Liverpool Football Club, is reportedly in discussions regarding the sale of a significant minority stake in the club. The potential buyer is a consortium led by Queens Park Rangers co-owner Amit Bhatia, with backing from his father-in-law, Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.
FSG confirmed to the Financial Times that negotiations have commenced with Bhatia’s group concerning a share sale. This potential transaction could value Liverpool at approximately £4.5bn. The investment consortium, led and managed by Amit Bhatia, has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in the club.
Fenway Sports Group acquired control of Liverpool in 2010 for £300m. The Boston-based investment group, which also owns the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins, has previously engaged in discussions for minority sales without reaching an agreement. However, with the Mittal family managing assets of £16bn, the consortium is understood to possess the necessary resources for the transaction.
Industry sources have expressed surprise at the reported £4.5bn valuation, noting that it is considerably higher than recent sales of other Premier League clubs of similar size. For instance, Chelsea was purchased four years ago by the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital group for £2.5bn, although this was described as a distressed sale due to sanctions on the then-owner Roman Abramovich. Additionally, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of 25% of Manchester United in 2024 valued that club at £3.9bn.
In a move indicating the seriousness of the consortium’s bid for Liverpool, Amit Bhatia resigned as a director of QPR recently, after 19 years with the club. The entrepreneur had held various leadership roles at QPR since his initial investment in 2007. He stated that QPR has been a deeply important part of his life and his family’s life, and he steps back from his formal responsibilities with pride, gratitude, and affection.
Previous Investment and Strategy Shifts
FSG had previously indicated in 2022 that it was open to new investment in Liverpool, either through minority shareholders or a complete sale. At that time, the group stated that it frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders and would consider new shareholders under the right terms and conditions, if it was in the best interests of the club.
A full sale did not materialise, but an agreement with Dynasty in 2023 was valued between £82m and £164m. FSG hailed this deal as instrumental in offsetting bank debt incurred from significant infrastructure projects, including the redevelopments of the Main Stand, Anfield Road End, and the club’s Kirkby training ground.
At the time of the Dynasty deal, FSG president Mike Gordon affirmed the group’s long-term commitment to Liverpool, stating a desire to further strengthen the club’s financial position and sustain ambitions for continued success both on and off the pitch.
Following this, FSG explored the possibility of acquiring a second club in continental Europe to expand its portfolio, adopting a multi-club model. This approach would have mirrored those of clubs like Chelsea and Manchester City, whose owners also operate clubs in other territories.
However, after examining potential purchases, including Spanish sides Malaga and Getafe, and French club Bordeaux, FSG did not proceed with any of these deals and is now understood to have moved away from the multi-club model. This decision to abandon the approach reportedly led to the departure of Michael Edwards last month, who had been rehired by FSG specifically to lead the multi-club project.
Current Club Operations and Future Outlook
Liverpool’s principal owner, John W Henry, has maintained a lower public profile regarding club matters since acknowledging and apologising for his involvement in the European Super League project in 2021.
Currently, sporting director Richard Hughes is managing the club’s transfer strategy for the summer. Hughes has a contract that extends until summer 2027, but he is believed to be open to a move to Saudi Arabia in the near future. The team is presently in the US under new head coach Andoni Iraola for a pre-season tour, which is scheduled to begin with a match against Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
George Hartwell is the Senior Football Correspondent at News-GB.org, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with twelve years of reporting experience. He reported on West Country football before national coverage. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from the University of the West of England and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Bristol, he watches grassroots football and writes a tactics column. “Tactics tell you more than any scoreline.”