Jeff Bezos is the new part-owner of one of the world's most celebrated soccer teams.
The billionaire founder of Amazon.com is among a group of investors that agreed Friday to buy a minority stake in Britain's Liverpool Football Club from Fenway Sports Group. The consortium is acquiring about a 33% stake in Liverpool in a deal that values the Premier League team at more than $7 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.
The deal is the latest example of the enduring appeal of top professional sports teams for the world's wealthiest. On Wednesday, a group led by Bob Iger and Joshua Kushner struck a $12.5 billion deal to buy the Los Angeles Lakers.
The consortium buying the stake in Liverpool FC is led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal. Bezos is participating in the deal through K5 Global, an investment firm managed by Michael Kives and Bryan Baum. Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and his wife Elaine are also part of the buying group.
Bhatia, Elaine Saverin and Baum are all set to join Liverpool's board following the deal.
The deal marks Bezos' first foray into sports ownership, but he won't have a board seat at the soccer club. Bezos' exact investment couldn't be learned. He was expected to write the largest check of the consortium participants, The Wall Street Journal previously reported.
FSG will retain majority ownership of Liverpool and continue to control the team's operations. The group, which also owns the Boston Red Sox, said the stake sale in Liverpool was part of its efforts to help power the team's long-term growth.
Liverpool is one of England's most successful soccer teams and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars on talent in recent years to keep pace with rivals. It won the Premier League title for the 2024-2025 season but only placed fifth last season.
A valuation north of $7 billion ranks Liverpool among the world's most valuable soccer teams, according to Forbes. Spain's Real Madrid leads the pack with an estimated value of $9.5 billion.
Investors have shown increasing interest in professional soccer teams in recent years as top clubs boost commercial revenues and work to capitalize on the sport's growing global appeal.
Professional soccer is at the center of the sporting world following the success of the World Cup that was played across the U.S., Mexico and Canada and watched around the world.