Liverpool owners FSG may be eyeing exit as minority stake talks progress, says former CEO
Peter Moore believes the club's American owners are planning for succession as they enter their mid-70s, with a £4.5bn valuation on the table.
Fenway Sports Group could be moving towards a full sale of Liverpool after 16 years of ownership, according to the club's former chief executive Peter Moore. The American group, led by John Henry and Tom Werner, is currently in talks to sell a minority stake to former QPR co-owner Amit Bhatia, a process Moore believes may be the first step towards a complete exit.
FSG purchased Liverpool for £300m in 2010. The club is now valued at roughly £4.5bn, representing a substantial return on investment. Moore, who ran the club from 2017 to 2020, pointed to the advancing age of the principal owners as a driving factor. Both Henry and Werner are in their mid-70s.
"I am in my 70s and let me tell you, when you hit 70, you start looking at things a little differently," Moore told the Blood Red podcast. "You go: 'OK, what is my legacy going to be? How does my estate look? What am I leaving behind for people?' It sounds somewhat morose but that is how you have to think. It is the responsible thing to do."
Bezos speculation dismissed
Recent reports have linked Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with joining Bhatia's consortium. Moore, now based in Silicon Valley, poured cold water on the idea. He argued that Bezos has never demonstrated a genuine interest in football and that his involvement would be more about celebrity than stewardship.
"You also have to look at people's passions because as much as football or sports is a commercial business and high stakes, you need people who understand the culture, understand the pitfalls and are willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty."
Moore suggested the Mittal family, who are connected to Bhatia, represent a more credible ownership profile. "Jeff has never shown any interest and even if he did... you don't want or need that [if you're FSG], so the Bezos thing to me is a red herring," he added.
What happens next
The minority stake negotiation with Bhatia is expected to conclude in the coming months. If completed, it would give the new investors a foothold at Anfield and potentially a pathway to majority control. For FSG, the process mirrors the gradual exit strategy used by other US sports owners looking to crystallise gains while managing succession.
The development comes amid wider ownership turbulence in English football, with West Ham's ownership situation also attracting scrutiny as the Premier League negotiates its next domestic rights cycle.
