Liverpool

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

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. In November, he created Prometheus - an artificial intelligence start-up. And in June, Bezos Expeditions was one of a group of investors who funded £330m in British AI start-up CuspAI.

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

Image source, Getty Images

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

Image source, Getty Images

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.

Image source, Getty Images

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.

Image source, Getty Images

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)

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Spanish football commentator Alvaro Romeo says Ronald Araujo can be a "very good asset" for Liverpool if he regains his form of three years ago.

The Reds have signed the 27-year-old defender on a season-long loan from Barcelona, with an option to buy.

The Uruguay international helped Barca win La Liga in three of the past four seasons, and ended last campaign as club captain, but Gerard Martin and Pau Cubarsi have emerged as Hansi Flick's preferred central-defensive pairing.

"Three years ago, when Barcelona won the league under Xavi Hernandez, Araujo was a colossus," Romeo told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He was phenomenal in defence and the best defender in La Liga by far.

"But then after he got injuries, a little bit of absent-mindedness, in some moments he lost concentration.

"If he can regain that, which is not impossible in my opinion, then he's going to be a very good asset for Liverpool.

"I think he can help, especially if he is playing alongside someone like Virgil van Dijk who can obviously make you a better player too."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Ronald Araujo as the defender has joined Liverpool on a season-long loan from Barcelona.

Here are some of your comments:

Steve: No brainer. If he's from Barca, he can play. If he's from Uruguay, he will add the steel we have been lacking... and he can play right back.

James: Very happy! Definitely needed strengthening in centre. May have the odd mistake in him, but show me a centre back who is perfect throughout the entire season. Prove himself this year, then purchase for about £45m. Can then be the transition period covered between Virgil van Dijk and rise of the young CBs we already have on the books. Now we just need another Uruguayan to help him settle into the squad… Come home, Darwin!

Matt: Great move. We need some experienced defenders while we settle our new young defenders in. A year loan with an option to buy is perfect for this. Especially as he also plays right-back. We can see how the season goes, both with him and with the young players, then decide whether to sign permanently. I would like to see us sign one (or even two) more experienced, versatile defenders on a year loan with an option to buy. Then our lack of defensive options will finally be sorted.

Dan: He seems to get fairly frequently inured for periods of days or weeks. Maybe that's why he's not getting the games anymore and why he can't be the most suitable option out there.

Adrian: I think it's a sensible move on the part of the transfer team. Araujo may not have Premier League experience but he does have experience of playing at the highest levels of football. If he flunks this season, we send him back at a minimal loss and if he excels, we get a good international defender with a year of EPL experience for a decent price.

Mike: Araujo will be the loan of the season, mark my words.

Sukie: We are loaning a player who has a poor disciplinary record and gets injured a lot. At Barca - 30+ yellow cards and six red cards. He's had over 16 different injuries since 2020 at Barca. Missed roughly 20-25% of their games. He's still recovering from a calf muscle tear he got before the World Cup, so not match fit. Arthur Melo 2.0? The loan money should be spent elsewhere. In the meantime, Joe Gomez is injured, Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet are still recovering/not match fit. CB/RB position is still a major concern.

Vardon: The Araujo move isn't a surprise from the perspective of Liverpool desperately needing reinforcement in their defense. Out of favour, and on a loan with no obligation to buy is good business sense, but his dramatic drop off in form at Barca is a concern. If he applies himself well it could be an excellent signing, but fans won't exactly be jumping for joy...

Image source, Getty Images

Ronald Araujo says his loan switch from Barcelona to Liverpool "was the ideal move for me at this stage in my career".

The Reds have snapped up Araujo - who can play at centre-back or right-back - on a season-long deal.

The 27-year-old said: "I can't wait to get started. 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 it was the ideal move for me at this stage in my career. I think it was a move that was necessary for me to take. As soon as I heard that interest from Liverpool, everything went into action really, really quickly.

"As I say, I'm super-happy to be here and excited to get started. I'm glad about the interest and it was the right move at the right time."

Uruguay international Araujo has played over 200 times for Barca, winning three La Liga titles in the process.

Image source, Getty Images

A consortium including billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has advanced its talks to buy about a 30% stake in Liverpool, BBC Sport has been told, and we asked for you views on the news.

Here are a selection of your comments:

Mark: Big concern about this. Look at the state of Manchester United with the Glazers! We have been lucky with FSG as they have sports in their DNA as it were. Bezos and his investment buddies would only be interested in extracting returns, which worries me immensely.

Dan: Honestly? The Bezos deal just distances me further from the club. Football was meant to mean something. It's gradually become a vacuous franchise. I can't believe that in my relatively short life time, football has been hollowed out and sold to the highest bidder. When does it end? What more do the billionaire's need to satisfy their appetite? Unfortunately, as a passionate and dedicated Liverpool fan for 30 years, I think I might be out. The soul has gone.

James: Doesn't feel in keeping with the Spirit of Shankly - "The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It's the way I see football, the way I see life."

Mark: Bezos' "brand" is not compatible with Liverpool FC. He shouldn't be allowed anywhere near our club.

Image source, Getty Images

A consortium including billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has advanced its talks to buy about a 30% stake in Liverpool, BBC Sport has been told.

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

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

Get in touch with your views here

Umir Irfan
Football tactics correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Winning is important but, for many fans, how a team plays in the hunt for a win is almost as significant.

Many believe Andoni Iraola's style is more aligned with the 'heavy metal' football Anfield had come to love under Jurgen Klopp.

So how have Liverpool fared in their pre-season games so far under Iraola?

The Reds have beaten Sunderland and Wrexham in pre-season, but threw away two-goal leads in defeats by both Leeds and Monaco.

They averaged 60.6% possession over this small sample size - which is a 12.9% jump on Bournemouth's average possession under Iraola in the Premier League last season.

With teams more likely to sit deep against Liverpool, having lots of possession is a newer challenge Iraola has to tackle, and he has looked to do this while sticking to the intense and chaotic style that typified his previous sides.

Liverpool have looked to build up short at times with their goalkeeper, four defenders and one or two central midfielders deep.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Trey Nyoni - Liverpool's preferred deeper midfield duo in pre-season - drop to show for the ball, bouncing it towards wide players in space.

Iraola's sides have become known for fast and vertical counter-attacks but, with Liverpool looking to hold the ball more deliberately, these short passes in build-up are designed to entice opposition pressure before accelerating play.

Once a team have committed players to pressing Liverpool, Iraola's men look for forward passes readily - almost manufacturing their own counter-attacks.

If a team press immediately, Liverpool have been willing to skip short build-up play and go long from goalkeepers Alisson or Giorgi Mamardashvili early.

By simplifying the attacking game into two-v-two or three-v-three situations, Liverpool are hoping to have a repeatable and dynamic solution, resulting in crosses from dangerous positions close to goal.

As exciting as this style of play can appear though, it does leave Liverpool very top-heavy.

In the opening games, we have seen both full-backs join the attack alongside two of the midfield three and the front three. This can result in situations that leave only the two centre-backs and one holding midfielder positioned behind the ball.

Four pre-season games is a very small sample, but Iraola's stamp on Liverpool is already clear to see, featuring many of the same instructions that defined his Bournemouth side.

Read the full article here

Aadam Patel
Liverpool reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Virgil van Dijk believes that even though there is change at Anfield with a new head coach in Andoni Iraola, the aim is still very much the same.

"It definitely feels like a bit of a transition, for sure," said Van Dijk, after Liverpool's 3-2 defeat to Monaco on Sunday. "It is down to everyone associated with Liverpool to make sure we are building something that will be successful for years to come.

"This year, we want to be successful, but there is a lot of work still to be done. We all know how difficult it is to be playing in the Premier League, the League Cup, the FA Cup, and the Champions League, so we need everyone at their best."

Van Dijk was granted an extended break after the World Cup, having played every minute of the Premier League last season and the 35-year-old chose not to go on Liverpool's pre-season tour of the USA, saying he felt that was the "best way" for himself.

"I definitely asked for a good break because I felt like I needed it, not only physically but mentally as well," said Van Dijk. "It was a very demanding year from before pre-season started last year until the day I got knocked out of the World Cup so I felt like I needed a good break and I had maybe three days more than Ryan (Gravenberch), Flo (Wirtz) and Alex (Isak).

"For me it was key I didn't want to go to America because I didn't want to get jet lag and after come back from that as well and I felt like having a couple of extra days at the AXA (training ground), doing the testing before the team was there and getting ready for when the team was back to immediately crack on. I felt that was personally the best way."

On his relationship with Iraola, Van Dijk added: "It has been absolutely fine, we had a great conversation in the first week when it got announced and the main thing for him to know is that I am here for him regardless, anything he needs, wants to know, wants me to do for the team or whatever, I am here for him and hopefully we will be successful this season and that's what we want."

Arsenal have made contact with Bradley Barcola's camp as they bid to hijack Liverpool's move to sign the France forward, 23, from Paris St-Germain. (Give Me Sport), external

Liverpool could open the door for Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo, 27, to join Tottenham if they secure one of their attacking targets. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport