Introduction

Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the owner of Liverpool FC, has agreed to sell roughly a third of the Premier League club to a new investor group called 1892 Holdings. The consortium, which includes Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, and the family behind steel giant Arcelor Mittal, becomes one of football's most high-profile ownership groups.  The announcement was made on 14 August 2026, the deal values Liverpool at more than 7 billion dollars, and the buyers hold an option to take majority control within the next year. Following this, Amit Bhatia, the consortium's leader, joins the board as vice chairman. 

Breakdown

A deal is built in stages, not all at once. Think of it like the difference between leasing and buying an apartment, You get to see how things work before committing fully, and the seller gets a serious buyer locked in either way. Instead of purchasing Liverpool in full, the consortium is starting with a minority stake of roughly 38 per cent, while FSG remains in control and continues running the club day to day. The agreement has an option allowing the consortium to buy full control within 12 months, at a valuation of around 8 billion dollars, giving the buyer time to settle in while the seller locks in a serious, long-term partner.

A few other billionaires and institutional investors have understood the growing value of sports ownership, taking stakes across clubs in Europe and the US, treating them less like a hobby and more like property or shares in a company. Law firms have taken notice, and several are now building dedicated sports finance teams to keep pace with demand the same way firms built out tech teams a decade ago when that industry took off.

Impact on Law Firms

Five different firms worked on this single deal, with Latham & Watkins, A&O Shearman and Clifford Chance taking the lead, alongside Orrick and Cleary Gottlieb. That alone tells you how many moving parts a deal like this has.

  • Corporate and M&A Team: Structures the share purchase, negotiating price, ownership percentages, and the terms of the option to buy shares in the future.

  • Competition and Regulatory Team: Ensures the deal satisfies the Premier League's Owners' and Directors' Test, which determines whether new owners meet the required financial and character standards.

  • Tax Team: Works out the most efficient structure for investment flowing in from multiple billionaires and family trusts based in different countries.

Future Outlook

If the consortium exercises its option to take majority control next year, a second and larger round of legal work is likely to follow, alongside closer scrutiny from Premier League regulators. Deals like this are proof that corporate law isn't just about tech companies and pharma giants. Sport, media and entertainment are turning into real growth areas, and the firms building expertise in them now will be the ones winning the next big ownership deal.