British-Indian millionaire Amit Bhatia expresses interest in Liverpool minority stake

A consortium led by British-Indian millionaire businessman Amit Bhatia has expressed an interest in buying a minority stake in Liverpool.

Bhatia, the son-in-law of the Indian billionaire businessman Lakshmi Mittal, was director and co-owner at QPR for 18 seasons but stepped down from the board and relinquished ownership of the club on Tuesday afternoon.

In a statement, Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) told BBC Sport: "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 the deal has not yet been finalised with FSG.

If the investment was to proceed, it would follow a similar structure to a deal made in 2023, when FSG sold a minority stake in the Reds to global sports investment firm Dynasty.

FSG purchased Liverpool in 2010 for £300m, when the club was on the verge of administration.

According to the Financial Times, a deal with the consortium led by Bhatia would value Liverpool at more than $6bn (£4.5bn).

BBC Sport has contacted Bhatia's representatives for comment.

Amit Bhatia is a former investment banker who worked for Morgan Stanley on Wall Street before becoming an entrepreneur.

He operates businesses in construction, real estate, and private equity.

The construction company he founded at 32 is now the largest independent building materials business in the UK with more than 5,000 employees, and his real estate firm builds homes, student housing and offices across the country.

Londoner Bhatia, 46, was awarded the young entrepreneur of the year award in 2013, and sits on the advisory board of the Saudi Arabian government's cultural affairs and international relations unit.

He was a director and co-owner of QPR before his unexpected departure on Tuesday, and a stand at Loftus Road bears his surname.

He married Vanisha Mittal Bhatia in 2004, in a six-day ceremony in France costing more than $55m (£41m), which at the time was recognised by Guinness World Records as the most expensive of all-time.

Vanisha is the daughter of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, whose net worth has been estimated at more $30bn (£22bn).

FSG originally made clear in 2022 that it would be open to new investment in Liverpool, either from minority shareholders or a potential full sale.

It said at the time: "FSG has frequently received expressions of interest from third parties seeking to become shareholders in Liverpool.

"FSG has said before that under the right terms and conditions, we would consider new shareholders if it was in the best interests of Liverpool as a club."

The full sale never materialised but the agreement with Dynasty in 2023 was valued at between £82m and £164m, and was hailed by FSG as helping offset bank debt accrued from infrastructure projects including the redevelopments of the Main Stand, Anfield Road end, and the club's Kirkby training ground.

At the time of that deal, FSG president Mike Gordon said: "Our long-term commitment to Liverpool remains as strong as ever.

"[We want] to further strengthen the club's financial position and sustain our ambitions for continued success on and off the pitch."

Since then, FSG has explored the possibility of purchasing a second club in continental Europe to add to its portfolio.

The multi-club model would have followed the examples of Chelsea and Manchester City, whose owners also operate clubs in other territories.

But after examining potential purchases including Spanish sides Malaga and Getafe and French club Bordeaux, FSG did not proceed with any of the deals and is now understood to have moved away from the model.

That decision to eschew the approach led to the departure of Michael Edwards last month - the former Liverpool sporting director had been rehired by FSG in order to lead the multi-club project.

Current sporting director Richard Hughes is managing the club's transfer strategy this summer and has a contract lasting until summer 2027, but is believed to be open to a move to Saudi Arabia in the near future.

Liverpool principal owner John W Henry has taken a back seat on matters relating to the club in public since acknowledging and apologising for his role in the widely derided European Super League project in 2021.