A consortium including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has moved forward with talks to buy around a 30% stake in Liverpool FC, BBC Sport has been told, advancing beyond the "expressed interest" that owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) confirmed last month. The group, led by British-Indian businessman Amit Bhatia and also featuring Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, would take a substantial minority holding in the Premier League champions, marking Bezos's clearest step yet into sports team ownership after he previously weighed but abandoned NFL bids.

Bhatia, son-in-law of steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, spent 18 years as a director and co-owner of Queens Park Rangers before relinquishing his stake last month. Bezos, the world's fourth-richest person with an estimated net worth of $256bn (£192bn), stepped down as Amazon chief executive in 2021 but retains an 8% stake, alongside ownership of The Washington Post and Blue Origin; he had previously explored buying the Washington Commanders and Seattle Seahawds before deciding against either. FSG, who bought Liverpool for £300m in 2010, had already sold a separate minority stake to Dynasty Equity.