A dose of Samba flair could be set to descend on Sixfields with former Brazil and Milan forward Alexandre Pato reportedly involved in a consortium that's attempting to complete a takeover of Northampton Town.
Cobblers chairman Kelvin Thomas confirmed in April that the club had entered a "period of exclusivity" with a "well-funded investment group" over a deal they hoped would clear the club's debts.
Three months down the line in July, Thomas revealed that the proposed investment was "pretty much agreed" and the deal was awaiting approval from the EFL and the newly-established Independent Football Regulator (IFR).
Northampton are one of the first clubs to go through the rigorous new process introduced by the IFR, which was introduced with the aim of preventing club's being purchased by reckless investors and preserving the financial stability of English football.
If the deal is ratified by the EFL and IFR, the Cobblers will commence a new chapter in the club's 129-year history with Pato a high-profile figurehead for the investment consortium, Sports Alpha Capital.
Pato was deemed one of the most talented wonderkids in world football when he made his debut for Internacional aged 17 and the forward subsequently earned a move to Italian giants Milan a year later.
He spent six years at the San Siro, winning the Serie A title and Supercoppa Italiana during his time with the Rossoneri, before returning to Brazil with Corinthians. Pato ventured back to Europe in 2016 to join Chelsea, making two appearances for the Blues in a four-month loan spell, prior to joining Villarreal on a permanent basis.
The 2009 Golden Boy recipient played for Tianjin Tianhai in China and Orlando City in the MLS before rounding off his career with a second stint at Sao Paulo, and Pato has since embarked on a career in punditry whilst exploring investment opportunities with various football clubs.
Speculation concerning Pato's potential involvement in the investment group attempting to purchase Northampton ramped up when the former Brazil international followed the Cobblers on Instagram.
Pato's social media activity caught the eye earlier this year when he engaged with Colchester United posts as the Sports Alpha Capital group attempted to purchase the Essex outfit.
The 36-year-old, who retired from professional football in 2023, even attended a League Two fixture between Colchester and Fleetwood Town before his investment group decided to withdraw from negotiations in February.
Despite the Colchester door closing, Sports Alpha Capital were keen to explore other opportunities in the Football League when the Northampton door was prised open.
In April, Northampton announced a £2.99m pre-tax loss for the 12 months to the end of June 2025, set against a club record turnover of £7.5m.
Cobblers chairman Thomas previously stated that if the investment was successful the club would be debt-free.
Northampton finished bottom of the League One standings last season as their three-year stay in the third tier came to an unceremonious end.
The club appointed Chris Hogg as manager in May and the Sixfields outfit will be looking to orchestrate an immediate return to League One. Northampton hope the takeover deal will have the green light in the coming weeks so that the club can explore more opportunities in the transfer market before the window concludes on 1st September.
