Sky News understands a consortium including the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is closing in on a deal to buy a roughly one-third stake in Liverpool.

It was gathered that Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the Anfield club’s controlling shareholder since 2010, is preparing to make an announcement about a transaction as soon as this week.

The deal will see Mr Bezos participate in an investor group alongside Eduardo Saverin, one of the co-founders of the social network Facebook.

The syndicate is led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal and until recently a shareholder in Championship club Queens Park Rangers.

One source indicated that an announcement was expected in the coming days, although they cautioned that it could slip into next week.

If completed, the deal would install a trio of the world’s wealthiest individuals as co-owners of the Reds, one of the most successful teams in the history of English football.

Mr Bezos alone has a fortune estimated by Forbes at over £207bn ($280bn), while Mr Saverin is said to be worth over £23.7bn ($32bn).

Their investment in Liverpool will reportedly value the club at £4.4bn ($6bn), making it one of the sport’s richest-ever deals.

While Mr Bezos has not previously been linked to deals in football, his prospective involvement in the Liverpool FC consortium underlines the extent to which sport is now viewed by wealthy investors as an asset class in its own right.

Mr Saverin, who is 44 years old, was part of a consortium which assembled an unsuccessful takeover bid for Chelsea FC during the 2022 auction triggered by Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

One insider said the deal was now expected to be slightly larger than previously thought, potentially involving a stake of over 30 per cent.

Nevertheless, if its valuation hits £4.4bn ($6bn), the deal will reinforce the huge financial success that FSG has enjoyed during its 16 years as the club’s owner.

The Boston Red Sox owner acquired Liverpool for just £300m with the club in a troubled state financially.

The arrival of such a powerful consortium will fuel expectations that its members will ultimately seek outright control of the Reds.

A spokesperson for FSG said last month: “An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club.”

The last time a stake in Liverpool changed hands was in 2023, when Dynasty Equity bought a small interest valuing it at more than £3.3bn ($4.5bn).

According to The Sun, Mourinho said he never thought about retirement and might still coach in his 70s. The “Special One” also referenced old rival Guardiola, stating he would never take a sabbatical.

Mourinho, 63, returned to Real Madrid this summer for his second spell, having signed a three-year contract.

However, the Portuguese coach revealed in his new documentary “Mourinho” that he remains highly motivated.

Mourinho said in the documentary: “I can’t even imagine when I will stop my football career.”

“I’m talking about another 10 years, maybe more than 10 years. Football is fun, it was, it is, and it always will be fun.”

“I want to win more titles. I want to win new titles. I want to repeat winning titles.”

“I want to do it in places I’ve never been, and I also want to do it again in places I’ve been before.”

“My world is walking into a stadium with 50,000 or 90,000 fans. I’ve faced 100,000 fans. That’s my world.”

“Without football, my life is incomplete.”

“But I don’t think it’s an obsession, and I don’t treat it as an obsession.”

“It’s just that once you reach a certain level, you want to stay there forever.”

Mourinho has been a head coach since managing Benfica in 2000.

The new documentary chronicles his rise since then, including a successful three-year spell at Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013.

During that period, Mourinho frequently clashed with Guardiola, who was then managing Barcelona.

Guardiola took a sabbatical after leaving Barcelona in 2012, taking over Bayern Munich a year later.

But Mourinho vowed not to do the same, believing that taking time away from coaching is a sign of weakness.

He said: “Some people need sabbaticals – I hate that very much, I hate that word.”

“For me, a sabbatical means weakness. Don’t talk to me about sabbaticals.”

“I never need a break. I’ll only rest when he (Mourinho points to the sky) decides to say ‘Come up’.”

Lionel Messi missed Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup defeat by Monterrey on Saturday night after the death of his father, as his team-mates led tributes before and during the match.

Jorge Messi died on Saturday at the age of 68 following a long illness.

Jorge, who had also been the Argentina forward’s agent since he was 14, passed away in a hospital in his hometown of Rosario, Argentina.

Messi flew in a private jet back to Argentina from Miami later that evening with his wife and three children.

A private funeral took place on Sunday at a cemetery in the town of Perez, on the outskirts of Rosario.

Miami paid tribute to Messi’s father with a minute’s silence before kick-off, while players wore black armbands and Jorge’s name was displayed on the big screens at Nu Stadium.

The club added a black ribbon to their social media profile pictures, and in a statement said: “Our hearts are with our captain, Leo, and the entire Messi family.”

Messi’s Argentina team-mate Rodrigo de Paul celebrated scoring the opening goal of the 2-1 defeat by taking off his shirt to reveal Messi’s.

Fans held up handmade signs offering their support to Messi and paying tribute to his father.

Miami striker Luis Suarez, who missed the match through suspension, wrote on Instagram that Jorge will continue to watch over his son “with pride, as he always did”.

Messi’s former club Barcelona observed a moment of silence before their 1-0 friendly win against Nottingham Forest in Udine, Italy.

In 2000, Jorge accompanied his 13-year-old son to Catalonia and played a key role in persuading the club to sign him.

Barcelona thanked Jorge “for his commitment to our club, for entrusting us with the beginnings and the most glorious years of his son Leo’s football career”.

Fans left flags and flowers outside Messi’s childhood home in Rosario, while Argentine giants Boca Juniors and River Plate both held periods of silence before their matches.