Consortium including Alexandre Pato set to buy majority stake in Northampton Town

On 6 August 2026 a consortium that includes former AC Milan, Chelsea and Brazil forward Alexandre Pato was reported to be set to buy a majority stake in League Two club Northampton Town. It is understood Pato is involved with the group but is not fronting it.

Sports Alpha Capital had been in discussions about taking over Colchester United earlier this year but decided to pull out of a potential deal after initial talks; Alexandre Pato was part of a consortium that had also been interested in a Colchester takeover but chose not to proceed following initial discussions. Pato retired from playing last year and is 36 years old. He spent five-and-a-half years at AC Milan, scoring 63 goals in 150 matches and winning the Serie A title in the 2010-11 season. He spent the second half of the 2015-16 season on loan at Chelsea from Corinthians and scored on his debut from the penalty spot in a 4-0 win at Aston Villa.

Northampton chairman Kelvin Thomas confirmed last month that a "well-funded" group's proposed investment had been "pretty much agreed". In April the club announced a pre-tax loss just short of £3m. Thomas has previously said the proposed investment would make the club debt-free.

The Cobblers were relegated to the fourth tier last season after finishing bottom of the League One table. That drop in status followed the financial loss reported in April.

Northampton appointed Chris Hogg as their manager in May. The club have so far brought in seven new players in the transfer window, including striker Matty Warhurst from Manchester City and midfielder Connor Lemonheigh-Evans from MK Dons.

The reported agreement would see the consortium acquire a majority stake in Northampton Town.