Jeff Bezos-led consortium acquires significant stake in Liverpool FC

A consortium including Amazon's Jeff Bezos has acquired roughly 38 percent of Premier League football club Liverpool, according to the Athletic. This stake was previously believed to be a third of the club, owned by Fenway Sports Group. The deal also includes an option for the group to gain full control within the next year, though this does not require a formal commitment.

The consortium consists of 1892 Holdings, led by British-Indian millionaire Amit Bhatia, as well as Bezos and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin. Bezos, the world's fourth-richest individual with a net worth of $256 billion, is making his debut investment in sports after previously considering purchasing NFL teams, the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders.

Bhatia, son-in-law of Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, previously co-owned QPR for 18 years before selling his Liverpool stake following the news of the deal. The sports investment firm FSG purchased Liverpool in 2010 for $406 million and sold a small minority share to Dynasty Equity three years ago. Liverpool begins their Premier League season against Newcastle on Sunday, aiming to improve upon their fifth-place finish last season, which led to manager Arne Slot's dismissal just a year after leading the team to a league title.

With the transfer window still open several weeks away, the new investment may provide a significant boost to Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola as he seeks to strengthen the squad for the upcoming season.