Anfield is about to get some extraordinarily wealthy new neighbours. A consortium that includes Jeff Bezos — the Amazon executive chair whose personal fortune stands at roughly $257 billion, making him the fourth-richest person on the planet — is closing in on a 30% stake in Liverpool FC, with the total price tag sitting at approximately £1.35 billion. The deal has been brokered after months of quiet negotiations with Fenway Sports Group, and sources indicate that while it is effectively agreed, the paperwork may take another month to finalise.

The group is led by Amit Bhatia, a businessman with direct ties to Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal and previous experience inside English football as a shareholder and director at Queens Park Rangers. Alongside him sits Eduardo Saverin, the Brazilian-born Facebook co-founder who is reportedly worth $32 billion and who built much of his fortune in Singapore. Deloitte has been advising on the transaction, which marks Bezos's first formal entry into football, despite his earlier interest in acquiring NFL franchises in the United States. The timing is striking.

Liverpool are navigating a genuine moment of transition: Andoni Iraola has replaced Arne Slot as head coach, Mohamed Salah has departed on a free transfer to Turkish club Trabzonspor, and Michael Edwards has stepped down as chief executive at FSG. The American ownership group, which purchased Liverpool in 2010 and has since guided the club to two Premier League titles, already sold a 3% slice to private equity firm Dynasty Equity in 2023.