Liverpool

Dan Roan
Sports editor

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Fenway Sports Group (FSG) says the newly announced deal "supports Liverpool's long-term growth ambitions by bringing together experts from across global business, technology and investment".

"The consortium partners will work with FSG and the club's leadership team to evaluate opportunities that enhance the club's objectives on and off the pitch," it added. "FSG continues to retain majority ownership and operational control."

FSG, which bought Liverpool in a £300m deal in 2010, previously sold a minority stake in the Anfield side to global sports investment firm Dynasty Equity.

In January, Liverpool became the top-earning Premier League club for the first time, according to analysis from financial firm Deloitte.

The following month, the club announced record revenues of £703m for the 2024-25 financial year.

BBC Sport has been told that while FSG was not seeking investment out of financial need, its leadership was attracted by the consortium's reach across global business, technology and investment, including in India and across Asia.

Liverpool fans strongly consider the club to have a specific set of values, centred around working-class roots, though.

Gareth Roberts, host of the Late Challenge LFC podcast, told BBC Sport earlier this week he was worried by Amazon's approach, given past criticisms around the way the company has treated its workers.

A Trades Union Congress report, external on Amazon, issued in 2020, highlighted "long, gruelling shifts with unreasonable productivity targets and unfair shift patterns" and "unacceptable working conditions".

In 2024, more than 200 workers took part in two days of strike action at an Amazon site in Birmingham as part of a long-running dispute over pay and union rights. Amazon said it regularly reviews its pay to ensure it offers competitive wages.

"How Amazon have treated unions and workers isn't particularly palatable," Roberts said. "Is he simply going to ramp up the name of Liverpool in order to make as much money as possible?"

Read the full article here

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"Liverpool has always been built by thinking beyond one season," Fenway Sports Group (FSG) president Mike Gordon has said after agreeing to sell around a third of the club to a consortium including billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

In a statement, FSG confirmed it had "entered into a definitive agreement for the sale of a minority equity stake in Liverpool FC to 1892 Holdings".

The consortium is led by British-Indian millionaire businessman Amit Bhatia and also includes billionaire Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.

"That approach continues to attract interest from respected investors and business leaders around the world," Gordon added.

"As we considered this opportunity, it became clear that Amit Bhatia and the consortium shared our long-term philosophy and appreciation for what makes Liverpool special."

Bhatia, who is set to become Liverpool's vice-chairman pending regulatory approval, added: "To be welcomed as a partner in a club of this stature is a huge privilege.

"We are making this investment because we believe deeply in Liverpool and its leadership, and we look forward to supporting the club's continued success for years to come."

This agreement marks Bezos' first venture into sports ownership, although he isn't expected to join Liverpool's board.

Other new board members include founder of K5 Sports - through which Bezos is investing - Bryan Baum and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin's wife Elaine.

In January, Liverpool became the top-earning Premier League club for the first time, according to analysis from financial firm Deloitte.

The following month the club announced record revenues of £703m for the 2024-25 financial year.

BBC Sport has been told that while FSG was not seeking investment out of financial need, its leadership was attracted by the consortium's reach across global business, technology and investment, including in India, and across Asia.

Aadam Patel
Football reporter

Some of you have been asking via our Liverpool Ask Me Anything form whether or not Ronald Araujo is a "pure gamble" signing like Federico Chiesa and how his stats compare to other defenders.

When Liverpool went for Chiesa, it is worth remembering he had a decent CV.

Having starred in Italy's winning run to the Euro 2020 title, he was named in Serie A's Team of the Year during his debut season at Juventus in 2020-21, all before he was affected by injuries.

Similarly, Araujo is a proven talent. He has made over 200 appearances for Barcelona and won three La Liga titles.

The Uruguay international did struggle last season, so it is a risky move, but with Liverpool's defensive situation, he should bring plenty of experience.

According to Opta, since his debut season in 2019-20 at Barcelona, Araujo has the highest duel success rate of any defender to make at least 100 appearances in La Liga at 65.6%. In the same period, the top ranked defender in the Premier League is Virgil van Dijk (72.6 per cent).

And since his debut, the two defenders with the lowest dribbled past average (per 90) in Europe's big five leagues are Araujo (0.13 - 14 times in 143 appearances) and Van Dijk (0.16 - 34 times in 212 appearances).

The speed of the move suggests there are hints of a gamble, with Araujo only made aware of Liverpool's interest last Wednesday. He then spoke to Andoni Iraola via a call on Thursday and by the weekend he was in England.

Given his statistics, it is a calculated gamble - with Liverpool also not paying a loan fee, Araujo agreeing to a pay cut and the Reds having no obligation to buy at the end of his season-long loan.

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It is common practice these days for transfer fees to have performance-based add-ons. The theory is the selling club gains more if the player goes on to be extremely successful, while the buying club is to some extent protected financially if the transfer doesn't work out.

In some cases, the total value of add-ons is significant - Real Madrid could end up paying an extra £30m to Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham depending on how successful he is over the course of his career in the Spanish capital, for example.

In others, like the potential £1.7m worth of add-ons Brighton's £29.78m signing of Greece Under-21 forward Charalampos Kostoulas, are less significant.

Clubs sometimes say add-ons are 'easily achievable' or 'difficult'.

Easier-to-achieve add-ons can include things like making a basic number of appearances, or scoring a certain amount of goals. Add-ons can also be attached to a team's success rather than the individual player's - a club may agree to an add-on requiring an extra payment if they qualify for Europe, for example.

Others can be more ambitious - tied to extreme levels of individual or collective success, like winning the Champions League or the Ballon d'Or.

An example of the difficulty add-ons can present when discussing valuations would be the claims made in the Portuguese media in 2022 that the first additional payment in Darwin Nunez's £64m-plus-add-ons move from Benfica to Liverpool was triggered by the Uruguayan making just 10 appearances.

Then Liverpool boss Arne Slot rejected speculation he had not started Nunez in some games because it would trigger an additional payment.

Whether Liverpool paid more for Nunez, or club captain Virgil van Dijk - for whom they paid a flat fee of £75m to Southampton in 2017 - cannot be determined without knowing exactly what add-ons were included in the Nunez deal, then figuring out which conditions he has and has not met.

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Aadam Patel has been answering some of your latest transfer window questions.

Rodney asked: Is Gakpo going to Tottenham?

Aadam said: We reported in June that a number of clubs including Spurs were monitoring Cody Gakpo's situation at Liverpool.

The interest is certainly genuine for a player who has proven it in the Premier League but the reality is that unless Liverpool bring in more players and Tottenham were to make an offer in excess of £60m, Gakpo stays put.

The Dutch international's contract at Anfield is until 2030 and despite a below-par season last time out, those at Liverpool still view him as a proven multi-functional attacker. Besides, Andoni Iraola does not want to weaken his squad.

Right now, a move to Spurs looks unlikely but if Liverpool are successful in their pursuit of Bradley Barcola, who primarily operates down the left flank, then this will be one to keep an eye on.

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Liverpool signing Ronald Araujo is a low-risk move that makes lots of sense, says Reds fan and author Adam Beattie.

The versatile Uruguay defender has joined Liverpool on a season-long loan from Barcelona, and Beattie believes the 27-year-old can hit the ground running at Anfield despite struggling in Spain for the past three years.

"I think it makes loads of sense to be honest," Beattie said. "I think it's one that's come a little bit from left-field, like most of the signings this summer, which gives me a bit of confidence that we'll get the things done that we still need to do.

"He's been Barcelona's captain which is obviously a huge deal over there, he's had his issues last summer as well but we've kind of picked up players who have had various problems with different managers and stuff and they've come in and hit the ground running again at Liverpool.

"The fact that he can play in two positions at right-back and centre-back is really helpful because we definitely needed at least one of them filled before the end of the window. Someone with experience, it's low-risk because he's on loan and if he's no good we can just say 'see you later' or if he is, we could pay the fee or negotiate a deal.

"We've got two or three young lads who obviously have huge futures but it would be a little bit unfair to just chuck them in; especially with [Jeremy] Jacquet's and [Giovanni] Leoni's injuries last year.

"So, a 27-year-old who's played loads of Champions League football just makes loads of sense."

Listen to more from Beattie below or on BBC Sounds here

Liverpool fans consider the club to have a specific set of values, centred around its working-class roots.

When FSG attempted to raise season ticket prices last season, fans' group Spirit of Shankly (SOS) launched a campaign called 'Not a Pound in the Ground'.

It urged fans to buy food and drink from local businesses in the Anfield area rather than inside the stadium. It worked, forcing the club to cut the size of their planned price rise.

SOS has doubts about the proposed investment and has raised a number of concerns.

"We would like to know what the buying consortium will get in return for their 30% stake," an SOS spokesperson told BBC Sport.

"Specifically, what would be the level of involvement in the control of the club and will they take a seat or seats on the board?

"And of huge importance, what due diligence is being done on the potential consortium of investors?

"Does this potential consortium have the best interests of the club at the forefront or is it a 'trophy' buy?"

• Read more on the potential sale of a share in Liverpool

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

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Paris St-Germain boss Luis Enrique sidestepped a question on Liverpool target Bradley Barcola's future.

The forward is wanted by the Reds with the club prepared to pay around £100m to bring the 23-year-old to Anfield.

Barcola is in the PSG squad to face Aston Villa in the Super Cup in Salzburg on Wednesday.

"I don't know and I don't want to speak about any player individually," Enrique said when asked about Barcola's future.

"Because it's always dangerous when you are asking something positive or negative about a player. I stay focused on my team."

Barcola moved to PSG from Lyon in 2023 for a reported £38.5m and has since also won three Ligue 1 titles, the French Cup twice, as well as the Uefa Super Cup and the Fifa Intercontinental Cup.

PSG also have Georgia's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and France's Desire Doue as wide options meaning Barcola's playing time would be increased with a move to Merseyside.

Aadam Patel and Charlotte Coates
BBC Sport

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Liverpool's first pre-season under new boss Andoni Iraola has not been without its challenges - but one reason for optimism is the emergence of 18-year-old defender Ifeanyi Ndukwe.

Iraola's side are short of numbers in central defence, so Austrian teenager Ndukwe has been handed more minutes than even he might have expected.

With two lots of 90 minutes and an 80-minute display already under his belt, Ndukwe was handed a start alongside captain Virgil van Dijk against Monaco at Anfield on Sunday.

And it didn't take long for the imposing 6ft 6in (1.98m) youngster to draw gasps from the crowd after a neat backheel to wrong-foot Monaco's Mika Biereth, before winning important defensive duels.

After the departure of France international Ibrahima Konate, it remains unclear who will partner Van Dijk in Liverpool's opening Premier League game against Newcastle.

But it won't be Ndukwe.

Post-Brexit rules mean he is not allowed to play for Liverpool in a competitive game in 2026 because he didn't reach the points target required to qualify for a UK work permit - meaning he can only play in friendly matches.

Since Brexit, and with the UK no longer part of the European Union, clubs now have to navigate a more complex work permit system to ensure players - especially those who are yet to establish themselves at the top level - are able to move to England.

Austria youth international Ndukwe doesn't currently have enough points to obtain a Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) to obtain a work visa.

There is another route into the squad, through taking up an Elite Significant Contribution (ESC) slot, which is awarded to foreign players who do not qualify for the standard GBE.

Premier League and Championship clubs have up to four ESC places available, based on the percentage of minutes clubs gave to their England Qualified Players (EQP) in the previous campaign.

But clubs are not entitled to all four spots automatically.

The magic number is 35% of minutes, which means clubs can use four ESC players. Dropping below that begins to reduce the number of ESC slots available.

Liverpool's percentage last season means they only get one ESC place, which has already been taken by Senegalese 18-year-old Mor Talla Ndiaye.

Read more here on the next steps for Ndukwe

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

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Florian Wirtz believes that he is "more ready" and "really excited" for his second season in the Premier League after settling in during his first campaign at Liverpool.

Wirtz made the move from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth £116m last summer and scored seven goals and provided 10 assists in what was an underwhelming campaign overall for Liverpool under Arne Slot.

"I definitely learned a lot. I just learned how Premier League football is played and I think I am more ready for my second season because I know how it is now. I am really excited for my next season," said Wirtz.

"I've played one year now in England and I've said often enough that it's a different style of football than in Germany. You just get used to the games and your opponents. I just know how it is now, so I'm happy to have my next season."

Asked to assess his first season, Wirtz said: "It's a difficult question but of course there were some games when I wasn't happy with myself, but also a lot of games when I felt good on the pitch. Last season was difficult for the whole club but hopefully we have the right energy and mentality this season, so every player can shine more."

The 23-year-old also revealed that he has had conversations about his role under Andoni Iraola and that Iraola is keen for him to play behind the striker. During the pre-season tour of the USA, the Liverpool boss said Wirtz was "quite complete" as a player.

"We spoke about this (No. 10 role) because I think it is important to know which position you are going to play and I know that I can probably play different positions but number 10 is my favourite and my best position, so let's see how this works out," said Wirtz.

On Iraola, Wirtz added: "I think especially in the last three years at Bournemouth you could see what he can do with a team. Of course we are looking forward to working with him and for the few weeks, for me, it is only two weeks that I have been in training, so I can just say that I am enjoying it. I like the idea of football he has, so I am really looking forward to it.

"We want to win more games and to compete for all the titles we can play for. I think we have to get more intensity into our game and at times more control with the ball.'

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Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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The fourth-richest man in the world is trying to buy a stake in your club. Surely that has to be good news?

Yet Liverpool fans, who still bear the scars of the Tom Hicks and George Gillette era, are viewing the potential high-profile investment cautiously.

The man in question is billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is part of a consortium that is in advanced talks to buy a 30% stake in the club.

Bezos, according to Forbes, has a personal fortune of about $257bn (£190bn).

To put that into context, last year Liverpool announced record revenues of £703m - but Bezos is worth 270 times that.

Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon five years ago but remains one of the company's biggest shareholders.

He also owns aerospace company Blue Origin, venture capital firm Nash Holdings and the Washington Post. More recently he created Prometheus, an artificial intelligence company which last month invested £330m in a British AI start-up.

As if to underline the scale of his financial resources, only last week he filed to sell 15 million of his remaining Amazon shares with a market value of about £3.1bn - double the value of the consortium's offer for a stake in Liverpool.

Bezos has been linked with sports investment for some time, but usually American sports franchises which are either more expensive or not open to offers.

He was reportedly interested in the Seattle Seahawks, who were sold for £7.3bn, external recently. The Washington Commanders, another NFL franchise said to be of interest, were sold for £4.6bn in 2023.

Buying a stake in Liverpool would give the 62-year-old a slice of one of the most iconic global sports brands for a small fraction of his fortune.

But would Liverpool be a status symbol or a true investment?

It is not as if Liverpool are unknown in the United States, either. Research company GWI has reported that Liverpool have 26 million supporters in the US, and the fastest-growing fan base.

It is no surprise, then, that the Reds had their pre-season tour in the States.

The deal would continue a theme of US investment into the Premier League, with 11 of the 20 teams this season having majority control from America - Liverpool included.

Read the full article here

Aadam Patel and Elizabeth Conway
BBC Sport

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The structure of the deal for Ronald Araujo reflects Liverpool's need to solve an immediate problem rather than make a long-term commitment - at this stage.

They wanted a defender who could operate both at centre-back and right-back, and Araujo's versatility and physical profile made him an attractive option.

The timing is particularly significant. Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni are all injured, while new signing Jeremy Jacquet has yet to feature in pre-season.

With Ibrahima Konate leaving for Real Madrid in the summer, Virgil van Dijk is Liverpool's only fit senior centre-back, making the need for reinforcements increasingly obvious.

Liverpool still believe that their stock of centre-backs will serve them well for the coming season and beyond. Jacquet, Leoni, Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe are all emerging players in the position.

But Araujo, with his strength, pace and experience at one of Europe's top clubs, was viewed as a player capable of helping Liverpool through that period. His leadership capabilities were also seen as a positive factor. He will wear the number 33 shirt.

At Barcelona, not only did his acceleration allow them to defend a high line with confidence but, at 6ft 4in (1.93m) tall, his frame made him a formidable presence in physical contests and aerial duels.

• Read more on the deal

Football finance expert Stefan Borson says the consortium comprising of billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, British-Indian millionaire businessman Amit Bhatia and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is "one of the wealthiest to have ever gone after a football club".

BBC Sport has been told the group have advanced its talks to buy about a 30% stake in Liverpool.

Owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) confirmed last month that the group had "expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club".

"I don't think there's any suggestion of a full sale yet," said Borson on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "But we have to be realistic.

"It is one of the wealthiest consortium's that have ever gone after a football club.

"I suspect their long-term plan is not to be a 30% shareholder of Liverpool and this will be the first step in what will in the next few years a move to have the majority of the club.

"It is an interesting development. When clubs are generating around a billion dollars of revenue, it puts you at six billion dollars valuation. The only people that can afford that are people who have wealth in a consortium worth over 100 billion dollars.

"Liverpool has been a hugely successful investment for FSG. They bought it for around £300m, whilst in distress at the time, and the club is now valued at nearer £5bn.

"FSG have done everything right. The club has grown very aggressively over the last few years.

"There is a scarcity to the value of Liverpool because they arguably one of the top five club's on this planet."

Listen to Monday Night Club on BBC Sounds

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

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On Sunday at Anfield against Monaco, Andoni Iraola was very honest after their 3-2 defeat.

Two weeks out from the start of the Premier League campaign, Iraola's verdict was that his side had "work to do" because they could not sustain the level that he wanted for the duration of a game.

Iraola said that his side played a good first 30 minutes but "they don't have much more, in terms of the levels required to play like this".

Iraola's comments were certainly concerning but he has had less than a month to work with his players and only a week or so with some. The signs are there that this team will entertain but as Iraola pointed out in Chicago, after their 4-2 friendly defeat to Leeds United, it will take time.

"I would like to say, no, on the first day, we are going to be perfect, everyone will be in place, but probably it is not going to be like this," he said, when asked if it would take a while before fully seeing his style of play. "We will have to do this as quickly as possible."

Watch the team on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club discuss the comments below or listen to the full show here.

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All 20 Premier League clubs have to submit a squad list consisting of no more than 25 senior players.

The full list of every team's registered squad is published by the Premier League shortly after the closure of each transfer window.

As part of that squad, clubs can register a maximum of 17 players not classed as a 'homegrown player'.

A homegrown player is a player who, regardless of their nationality or age, has been affiliated with any English or Welsh club for a period of three entire seasons or 36 months before their 21st birthday.

The same rules apply to players who have three seasons or 36 months as a registered player prior to the end of the season in which that player turns 21.

A club's Under-21 players are not included on the 25-man squad lists.

An example of this is Chelsea's Brazilian striker Joao Pedro. The 23-year-old, born in Sao Paulo, joined Watford in 2020 aged 18. Because he spent three consecutive years before turning 21 in England, he is considered homegrown.

Ronald Araujo is the 17th senior non-homegrown player, which hits the limit.

With Liverpool also pushing to sign French winger Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint‑Germain, it's now effectively a one‑in, one‑out situation at Anfield.

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Ronald Araujo says he expects his attributes to suit the Premier League perfectly after securing a season-long loan move from Barcelona to Liverpool.

The deal for the 27-year-old centre-back - a three-time La Liga winner who can also play right-back - includes an option to buy.

"I can't wait to get started," Araujo said. "I'm very, very happy. I'm excited to be here at this massive club with lots of history.

"I'm excited to meet my teammates, excited to get started playing, and I'm very motivated and really up for getting going.

"I think my attributes will suit this league down to the ground. I think the style of play in the English league should be perfect for my qualities as a player. It's a league I've wanted to play in for a long time."

Araujo says his "sincere, frank and honest conversation" with Reds manager Andoni Iraola was "great" and a big factor in his decision to join.

"I was very happy to have that chat with him and it made it even more plain that I should be coming here," Araujo added.

"He knows me well, he knows what I'm capable of doing, so I think he knows what I can provide both on the field and off it.

"Without a shadow of a doubt, the aim is to win trophies, win things. Liverpool is a team that is competing on all levels for all trophies, so we need to be battling it out on all fronts.

"You aim high at a club like this – that's what we'll all be doing. That's the main aim of the players and I'm sure it is of everyone at the club and the supporters as well."

Bradley Barcola, 23, has given the green light to Liverpool despite Arsenal making a late move for the Paris St-Germain and France forward, who is valued at about £130m. (Sun, external)

Atletico Madrid have launched a bid of 35m euro (£30m) for Lille's 21-year-old Belgium forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who is also attracting interest from Arsenal and Liverpool. (L'Equipe - in French, external)

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