Premier League giants Liverpool are in talks with a consortium led by British-Indian millionaire Amit Bhatia over buying a minority stake in the club.
Bhatia is the son-in-law of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, who was the co-owner of Queens Park Rangers for 18 years before stepping down last week.
Reds owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) released a statement confirming the talks: “An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club.”
The deal is expected to follow a similar structure to 2023, when FSG approved a minority stake sale to global sports investment firm Dynasty.
FSG remain the majority owners of the club, having purchased it for £300m in 2010.
The man behind the talks
Bhatia is an ex-investment banker with experience working on Wall Street, before moving into business.
He operates mainly in construction, as well as some real estate and private equity.
The 46-year-old was awarded the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2013 and sits on the advisory board of the Saudi Arabian government’s cultural affairs unit.
He married Vanisha Mittal Bhatia in 2004, splashing out on a wedding in France that cost over £40m across six days. It was dubbed the most expensive ceremony in the world at the time.
His father-in-law is worth a reported £22billion.
FSG open to new investments
Four years ago, FSG revealed they were seeking new investment into Liverpool Football Club, from minority shareholders or a full sale.
The agreement with Dynasty was valued between £82m and £164m, and helped clear a huge catalogue of debt from infrastructure projects involving Anfield and the club’s training ground.
FSG had also considered purchasing another football club and adopting the multi-club ownership model, like Chelsea’s owners, but has since moved away from that idea.
Former sporting director Michael Edwards was rehired to lead the search, but has now departed the club again.
At the time, FSG said: “Our long-term commitment to Liverpool remains as strong as ever.
“[We want] to further strengthen the club’s financial position and sustain our ambitions for continued success on and off the pitch.”
In recent days, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos has been linked with the club, although there is no official confirmation of his interest.