Fenway Sports Group, the owner of the Boston Red Sox, is in talks to sell a minority stake in Britain's Liverpool Football Club, one of the top-tier, professional soccer teams in the English Premier League.
The details
A consortium led by investor Amit Bhatia expressed interest in buying a "strategic minority investment" in Liverpool, FSG said. The Mittal family, which owns more than 40% of steel conglomerate ArcelorMittal, is also behind the potential bid, according to people familiar with the matter.
Terms of any possible transaction are still undecided. A deal could value the club at between $6 billion and $7 billion, one of the people familiar with the matter said. Liverpool was valued at $6.2 billion in May, according to a Forbes estimate.
Spain's Real Madrid is estimated to be the world's most valuable professional soccer team at $9.5 billion, according to Forbes.
In 2023, British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe agreed to buy a minority stake in Liverpool rival Manchester United in a deal that valued the renowned soccer club at around $6.3 billion, including debt.
The Financial Times earlier reported the Bhatia-led consortium's interest in the Liverpool team.
The context
FSG investments span sports teams, the PGA tour, regional sports network NESN and sports marketing.
Professional soccer is at the center of the sporting world following the success of the World Cup that was played across the U.S., Mexico and Canada and watched globally. That helps explain investors' interest in top professional teams and their bet on the game's growth.
The possible stake sale of Liverpool would be consistent with FSG's past moves to bring in partners as a way of fueling the team's growth. In 2023, the group sold a minority stake in Liverpool to Dynasty Equity, a New York-based private-equity firm, for an undisclosed amount.
Liverpool invested around $500 million dollars on talent in recent years to build off the team's success winning the Premier League title for the 2024-2025 season. However, it only placed fifth in the most recent season.
Write to Ben Dummett at ben.dummett@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 21, 2026 13:59 ET (17:59 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Comments