A consortium led by British-Indian millionaire businessman Amit Bhatia has expressed an interest in purchasing a minority stake in Liverpool Football Club.
Bhatia recently stepped down as director and co-owner of QPR on Tuesday, ending an 18-season association with the west London club.
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group confirmed the approach in a statement issued to BBC Sport, making the interest in the club officially public for the first time.
FSG stated: “An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club.”
BBC Sport understands that a deal has not yet been finalised, meaning negotiations between both parties remain ongoing at this stage.
According to the Financial Times, a successful deal would value Liverpool at more than $6bn (£4.5bn), making it one of the largest valuations in football history.
If completed, the investment would mirror the structure of a deal struck in 2023, when FSG sold a minority stake in the club to global sports investment firm Dynasty.
That Dynasty agreement was valued at between £82m and £164m, and helped FSG offset bank debt accumulated through major infrastructure projects at Anfield and the club’s Kirkby training ground.
FSG originally purchased Liverpool in 2010 for £300m at a time when the club was on the verge of administration, and has overseen significant growth since then.
Bhatia is a former investment banker who previously worked for Morgan Stanley on Wall Street before transitioning into entrepreneurship across several sectors.
He operates businesses spanning construction, real estate, and private equity, and the construction firm he founded at 32 is now the largest independent building materials business in the UK, employing more than 5,000 people.
Bhatia, 46, was awarded young entrepreneur of the year in 2013 and sits on the advisory board of the Saudi Arabian government’s cultural affairs and international relations unit.
He is the son-in-law of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, whose net worth has been estimated at more than $30bn (£22bn), having married Vanisha Mittal Bhatia in 2004.
The couple’s wedding was a six-day ceremony held in France that cost more than $55m (£41m), which at the time was recognised by Guinness World Records as the most expensive of all time.
FSG has faced a number of significant internal developments recently, including the departure of Michael Edwards last month after the group moved away from pursuing a multi-club ownership model.
Edwards, the former Liverpool sporting director, had been rehired by FSG specifically to lead that multi-club project, which had explored potential purchases of Spanish sides Malaga and Getafe as well as French club Bordeaux.
Current sporting director Richard Hughes is overseeing Liverpool’s transfer activity this summer and holds a contract running until 2027, though he is believed to be open to a move to Saudi Arabia in the near future.
Liverpool principal owner John W Henry has largely stepped back from public-facing matters at the club since apologising for his role in the ill-fated European Super League proposal in 2021.
