Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos has joined a consortium seeking to acquire a minority stake in Liverpool Football Club.
The consortium is being led by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia and also includes Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
The group is reportedly seeking to acquire just over 30 per cent of Liverpool, which is majority-owned by Fenway Sports Group (FSG).
According to Sky News, FSG is preparing to announce details of the consortium later this week, although the deal is yet to be formally completed.
The proposed investment would value Liverpool at around $6 billion, placing the club among the world’s most highly valued sports franchises.
If completed, the deal would bring together three prominent billionaires as minority investors in one of England’s biggest football clubs.
For Bezos, the investment would mark his first major venture into football. Saverin, meanwhile, was previously involved in an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Chelsea.
The consortium’s investment could provide Liverpool with additional financial strength as the club seeks to remain competitive in English and European football.
Bezos founded Amazon in 1994 and has since built a vast business empire that includes aerospace company Blue Origin and investment firm Nash Holdings, which owns The Washington Post.
Bhatia, 46, is a British-Indian entrepreneur with an investment banking background. He currently runs AyBe Capital, a multi-asset investment firm with interests spanning technology, media, property, consumer retail and healthcare.
He is married to Vanisha Mittal Bhatia, daughter of Indian billionaire steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal.
Forbes estimates Bezos’ fortune at around $281 billion, placing him among the world’s wealthiest individuals.
The exact value of Bhatia’s personal fortune is unclear, although his family has significant wealth through his father-in-law, Lakshmi Mittal, whose fortune Forbes estimates at approximately £23.2 billion.
The proposed Liverpool investment remains subject to formal confirmation by the club’s majority owners.