Liverpool owner FSG in talks to sell 30% stake to Amit Bhatia consortium for £1.35bn

Liverpool’s owner is in talks over ­selling a minority stake to a consortium led by the former Queens Park Rangers co‑owner Amit ­Bhatia and backed by his father-in-law ­Lakshmi Mittal, the billionaire Indian steel magnate. The Guardian understands a sale of 30% of the club is being discussed, with an offer of around £1.35bn on the table.

Fenway Sports Group confirmed in a statement to the Financial Times that it had begun negotiations with a group led by Bhatia over a ­potential minority share sale that would value ­Liverpool at about £4.5bn.

“An investment consortium led and ­managed by Amit Bhatia has expressed ­interest in ­making a strategic ­minority ­investment in Liverpool Football Club,” the statement said.

FSG paid £300m to take ­control of Liverpool in 2010 and is poised to secure a spectacular return on its investment. The ­Boston‑based group, led by John W Henry, which also owns the ­Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh ­Penguins, has pre­viously held discussions over a minority sale without reaching agreement but, with the Mittal family ­possessing an estimated net worth of £23bn, there is no doubt the buyers have the resources to execute the transaction.

Industry sources expressed surprise at the purported £4.5bn valuation but it is in line with recent deals.

It is believed that talks over the deal have been going on for three months.

Chelsea were bought four years ago by the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital group for an overall £4.25bn, although £2.5bn was to purchase the shares from Roman Abramovich. These proceeds were deposited into a frozen UK bank account while £1.75bn was a legally binding commitment for future investment directly into the club. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of 25% of Manchester United in 2024 valued the club at £4.3bn.

In an indication of the ­seriousness of the consortium’s bid for ­Liverpool, Bhatia resigned as a director of QPR on Tuesday after 19 years. The ­London-born entrepreneur has held numerous leadership roles at QPR since investing in the club in 2007. He said: “QPR has been a deeply important part of my life, and of my family’s life … I step back from my formal responsibilities with pride, gratitude and affection.”

Liverpool are in the US under their new head coach, Andoni Iraola, for a pre-season tour which begins with a game against Sunderland in ­Nashville on Saturday.