AFP | London

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Liverpool supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly said the interests of the club and fans must come first following reports that a consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is close to a deal to buy a significant minority stake.

Sky News said Bezos was part of an investor group led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of India steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, which also includes Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group confirmed the approach from Bhatia’s group in July.

Monday’s Sky report said the consortium was “closing in on a deal to buy a roughly one-third stake in Liverpool”, with FSG preparing to make an announcement “as soon as this week”.

Bezos is one of the world’s richest men, with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at more than $280 billion, while Saverin’s wealth is put at $33 billion.

The 62-year-old Bezos has reportedly explored previous bids for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders, but decided against pursuing either deal.

Spirit of Shankly has written to Liverpool asking for more clarity and a meeting to discuss the potential changes.