FSG in talks to sell $6bn minority stake in Liverpool

A consortium led by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in buying a minority stake in Liverpool Football Club. The proposed investment would value the club at more than $6bn (£4.5bn), according to the Financial Times. "An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club," Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) confirmed in a statement.

The potential valuation underscores the massive asset appreciation in elite European football. FSG purchased the club for £300m in 2010, when Liverpool was on the verge of administration. A decade and a half later, expanded infrastructure and global commercial reach have multiplied its worth twentyfold.

If completed, the transaction would follow the blueprint of FSG's 2023 deal with Dynasty. That agreement, valued between £82m and £164m, was used to offset bank debt accumulated from major infrastructure projects. These included the redevelopments of the Main Stand, the Anfield Road end, and the club's Kirkby training ground.

FSG president Mike Gordon previously framed the Dynasty investment as a way to "further strengthen the club's financial position and sustain our ambitions for continued success on and off the pitch." The group has maintained that new shareholders are considered "if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club."

Bhatia brings deep construction and real estate credentials to the table. The 46-year-old former Morgan Stanley banker founded the UK's largest independent building materials business, which now employs over 5,000 people. His real estate firm builds homes, student housing, and offices across the country.

The investment talks coincide with a broader strategic retreat by FSG from European football's multi-club model. After examining potential acquisitions in Spain and France, including Malaga, Getafe, and Bordeaux, the owners abandoned the approach. That decision prompted the departure last month of Michael Edwards, the former sporting director who had been rehired specifically to lead the multi-club project.

FSG is now focused on extracting capital through minority sales rather than expanding its portfolio. Principal owner John W. Henry has maintained a low public profile since the collapsed European Super League project in 2021. On the sporting side, current director Richard Hughes is managing summer transfers on a contract running until 2027, though he is reportedly open to a move to Saudi Arabia.