QPR owner Bhatia Liverpool investment could value club at $6bn
Liverpool could be valued at more than $6bn amid talks between owners Fenway Sports Group and investors over a minority stake sale.
A consortium of investors led by the British-Indian co-owner of Queens Park Rangers Amit Bhatia is reportedly in talks to purchase a significant minority in the Merseyside club, according to the Financial Times.
The consortium is reportedly backed by the Mittal family, which Bhatia is married into, whose sporting portfolio is currently headed up by the Rajasthan Royals Indian Premier League franchise.
Fenway sports group completed its acquisition of Liverpool in 2010 and had recently been looking to build a multi-club empire – much like Manchester United’s Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester City’s City Football Group – before abandoning plans earlier this year.
They confirmed the interest from Bhatia, telling 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.”
A deal has not been completed.
Liverpool set for $6bn valuation?
The Fenway Sports Group era has seen Liverpool win the Premier League twice and pick up a sixth Champions League title and helped consolidate an era of top flight football dominated by American investment into the English league.
The deal could see the Reds, who will this season be managed by Andoni Iraola after parting ways with Arne Slot in the summer, valued at $6bn – which would be one of the highest transaction values in the sport’s history.
FSG itself counts the likes of RedBird Capital Partners, LeBron James and Maverick Carter among its investors, while US sports investment firm Dynasty Equity reportedly paid up to $200m for a stake in the club that equated to smaller than four per cent.
Earlier this month Fenway Sports Group’s chief of football Michael Edwards quit the organisation.
Bhatia did not comment to the Financial Times.