A statement from Liverpool’s owners FSG was released following the news
A consortium headed up by British-Indian millionaire Amit Bhatia has expressed an interest in buying a minority stake in Premier League giants Liverpool.
Bhatia has a long association of being involved in English football, and was was director and co-owner at Championship club QPR for 18 seasons but on Tuesday stepped down from his role and relinquished ownership of the Hoops.
He is the son-in-law of Indian billionaire businessman Lakshmi Mittal, who is believed to be backing the move. The Mittal family’s net worth was most recently valued at over £26billion by Forbes.
Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG), released a statement to BBC Sport acknowledging the news.
“An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club,” the statement read.
The BBC add that the deal has not yet been finalised with FSG.
Current owners FSG purchased the Anfield club in 2010 for a fee in the region of £300million.
According to the Financial Times, as quoted by the BBC, the consortium led by Bhatia would value the Reds at more than $6bn (£4.5bn).
Back in 2022, FSG made their stance clear over investment into the club.
It said at the time: “FSG has frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders in Liverpool.
“FSG has said before that under the right terms and conditions, we would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club.”
FSG has sold a minority stake in the Reds before; in 2023 they struck a deal with global sports investment firm Dynasty to own a percentage of the Merseyside outfit.
Bhatia started his career on Wall Street, working as an investment banker for Morgan Stanley.
The 46-year-old has since moved into the realms of construction, real estate and private equity.
His departure from Loftus Road earlier this week was unexpected.
“Since joining the club in 2007, QPR has been a deeply important part of my life and my family’s life,” Bhatia told the club website.
“Over nearly two decades we have shared promotions, relegations, unforgettable highs and painful lows, and the memories we have made at Loftus Road alongside the supporters will stay with us forever.”
“I step back from my formal responsibilities with pride, gratitude and affection. I want to thank the players, managers, staff, the Community Trust, my fellow board members and, above all, the fans, who have made me and my family feel part of the QPR family for so many years,” he added.
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