Liverpool's owners have agreed to sell about a third of the club to a consortium including billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. In a statement, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) confirmed it had entered into a "definitive agreement" for the sale of a "strategic minority investment" to 1892 Holdings. The group is led by British-Indian millionaire businessman Amit Bhatia and also includes billionaire Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
Bhatia is set to become Liverpool's vice-chairman, and will join an expanded board pending regulatory approval. The son-in-law of Indian billionaire businessman Lakshmi Mittal, he had been a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers for 18 years before relinquishing his stake in the club last month. American businessman Bezos, founder of e-commerce giant Amazon, is the fourth-richest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of $256bn (£192bn).
This marks his first foray into sports ownership, although he will not join Liverpool's board. However, Bryan Baum, founder of venture capital firm K5 Sports - through which Bezos is investing - will join the Anfield board, alongside Saverin's wife Elaine. Bezos is the biggest investor in K5 Sports.
BBC Sport has been told that the transaction will have no impact on the club's approach to the transfer window, and that there is no new or separate transfer budget associated with the investment. The agreement includes an option for the consortium to increase its investment in the future. That suggests the group will be in pole position to become majority shareholders if Fenway wants to sell up, but according to one source, no commitments have been made to do so.
The deal is said to value the club between £5bn and £6bn. FSG says the deal "supports Liverpool's long-term growth ambitions by bringing together experts from across global business, technology, and investment". "The consortium partners will work with FSG and the club's leadership team to evaluate opportunities that enhance the club's objectives on and off the pitch," it added.
"FSG continues to retain majority ownership and operational control of Liverpool." FSG, which bought Liverpool in a £300m deal in 2010, previously sold a minority stake in the Anfield side to global sports investment firm Dynasty Equity. Mike Gordon, FSG president, 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.
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