A consortium of investors led by Amit Bhatia and backed by the Mittal family is in talks to buy a significant minority stake in Liverpool Football Club, in a deal that would value the English Premier League side at more than $6bn. Owners Fenway Sports Group are interested in capital investment rather than a complete takeover.
The investor group headed by Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel tycoon and billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, has hired advisers to work on the offer and is in active talks with Liverpool’s current US owners Fenway Sports Group, according to people familiar with the matter.
The football club was expected to be valued at more than $6bn in any transaction, three people said, one of the highest in football history. The attempted deal underlines the continued appeal of England’s top-tier football clubs and the global reach of the Premier League.
People familiar with the talks stressed to th Financial Times that no deal had yet been struck and there was no certainty an agreement would be reached. It would be the latest big-money deal in English football, following the £2.5bn takeover of Chelsea FC 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, including debt, in 2023.
Liverpool is owned by FSG, which is controlled by American billionaire John Henry, who made his fortune in commodities trading. His group bought Liverpool for £300mn 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.
Ahead of the potential deal, Bhatia agreed to transfer his shareholding in Queens Park Rangers, which plays in the English second tier, to majority owner Ruben Gnanalingam. This is to avoid holding stakes in two clubs. The Liverpool talks come two months after the Mittal family agreed in May to buy a minority stake in the Rajasthan Royals, the Indian Premier League cricket franchise.
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 turnaround on and off the pitch. T
Liverpool’s revenue rose to north of £700mn in the 2024-2025 season, a club record, from £613mn the prior year. Its commercial partners include bank Standard Chartered, German sportswear maker Adidas and Google Pixel. FSG sold a minority stake in September 2023 to US private equity firm Dynasty Equity.