Liverpool owners sell stake to Jeff Bezos-backed consortium - ESPN

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have confirmed the sale of a minority stake in the club to a consortium that includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

The consortium, named 1892 Holdings in acknowledgement of the year Liverpool was founded, will be led by British-Indian businessman and former Queens Park Rangers co-owner Amit Bhatia, who will also become the club's new vice chairman.

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Sources told ESPN the stake is in the range of 30%, taking Liverpool's overall valuation to a fee in the region of £5.5 billion ($7.45B).

The consortium also includes the K5 Sports fund, lead by Bezos, and EE Capital, the family office of Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and his wife Elaine, who is set to join Liverpool's board. The move marks Bezos' first investment into sport after many years of links to investment in a number of NFL franchises.

Bezos, who is the world's third-richest man with a reported net worth according to Forbes of $271.4 billion (£200.3B), is not expected to sit on Liverpool's board, with his representation instead coming via K5 Global's managing partner, Bryan Baum.

«We are incredibly proud to be investing in Liverpool Football Club and to be doing so alongside FSG,» Bhatia said on behalf of 1892 Holdings. «We have the utmost respect and admiration for FSG as owners and for everything they have achieved at Anfield. To be welcomed as a partner in a club of this stature is a huge privilege.

»We are making this investment because we believe deeply in Liverpool and its leadership, and we look forward to supporting the club's continued success for years to come."

FSG, who bought Liverpool for £300 million in 2010, retain majority ownership and operational