A consortium led by British-Indian millionaire businessman Amit Bhatia and backed by the Mittall family’s billions is in talks to buy a minority stake in Liverpool FC – one of the region’s, and the world’s, best-known sporting brands.
Bhatia, the son-in-law of the Indian steel tycoon and billionaire businessman Lakshmi Mittal, was a director and co-owner at QPR for 18 seasons following his father’s 2007 investment to acquire 20% of the London yo-yo club, but stepped down from the board and relinquished any ownership of the club yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 21 July).
FSG confirmed the consortium’s interest in a statement to the FT. “An investment consortium led, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club,” it said.
Bhatia declined to comment, and no deal appears to have been finalised with FSG as of yet.
Were the investment to proceed, it is suggested that it would follow a similar structure to a deal made in 2023, when FSG sold a minority stake in the Reds to global sports investment firm Dynasty.
FSG purchased Liverpool in 2010 for £300m, when the club was in a period of stagnation and on the verge of administration.
According to the Financial Times, quoting three sources familiar with the negotiations, a deal with the consortium led by Bhatia would value Liverpool at more than $6bn (£4.5bn), one of the highest valuations in football history.
Other recent bumper Premier League deals include Tod Boehly’s £2.5bn takeover of Chelsea FC after former owner Roman Abramovich was forced to give up the club under sanctions rules due to his ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin in 2022 and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of a minority stake in Manchester United, which valued Liverpool’s arch-rivals at more than $6.3bn in 2023.
Liverpool owner FSG is controlled by American billionaire John Henry, who made his fortune in commodities trading. The group bought Liverpool for £300m in 2010. FSG also owns the Boston Red Sox baseball team and in 2024 led a consortium in a $1.5bn investment into the commercial arm of the PGA Tour golf competition. In December last year, FSG sold the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey franchise to the Hoffman family for $1.7bn.
Liverpool is one of the biggest brands in global sport. The club has won the Uefa Champions League six times and the English top flight a joint-record 20 times. Under FSG, it has undergone a relative turnaround on and off the pitch, although it has stil lonely managed two Premiere League titles this century.
Image courtesy Liverpool FC
