Amazon founder and former richest man on Earth Jeff Bezos is set to become a part-owner of one of the world’s biggest football clubs.
The American multibillionaire, who from 2017 to 2021 was the world’s wealthiest person and boasts a net worth of US$257 billion, is part of a consortium close to completing a deal with Fenway Sports Group for a 30 per cent share of Liverpool.
Bezos and Eduardo Saverin — one of the co-founders of Facebook — have been named as investors, along with Amit Bhatia, who is the son of steel mogul Lakshmi.
Between them, the trio bring a staggering fortune, with Saverin and Bhatia adding around $23 billion each.
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The purchase reportedly values the Reds in the region of $6 billion.
Saverin was previously part of an unsuccessful bid to by Chelsea in 2022.
It would be the first time a stake in Liverpool has been sold since a small share was bought by Dynasty Equity in 2023 for £3.3 billion.
FSG purchased Liverpool in 2010 for just £300 million – but the 30 per cent stake alone is set to be bought for almost $2.6 billion in Australian currency.
That would value the club at an eye-watering $8.3 billion, which would see them rival Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona among the world’s most valuable clubs.
The venture is Bezos’ first venture into a major sport, having previously been linked to ownership of an NFL franchise.
He stepped down as Amazon CEO five years ago, but remain’s the company’s executive chairman.
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However, concerns have emerged over whether a consortium as powerful as this will seek to take full control in the future – and what it will mean for a club which has strong working-class roots.
“It is massive for the future of Liverpool. We have to be careful, though,” Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol said.
“There may be a few supporters uneasy at the prospect of being part-owned by one of the richest men in the world.
“When people invest or buy clubs, who previously don’t have a link to the club, the duty is to ask why they want to invest. What is in it for them?”
“I would treat the development with some caution, until we hear why this group of investors want to invest in Liverpool. People invest because they want to make money … a lot of rich people in recent years have thought it is worth owning a Premier League club. Not just because they can make you money and increase in value, but because they are a trophy asset.”