Liverpool owner in talks to sell minority stake to Amit Bhatia-led consortium, valuing club at £4.5bn

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.

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

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.

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.