MILAN (BLOOMBERG) – Bain Capital’s Stephen Pagliuca will become co-chairman of the Italian football team Atalanta after leading a group of investors to buy a 55 per cent stake in the company that controls the Serie A club. 

Pagliuca, co-chairman of the Boston-based asset manager, and a group of unidentified investors, agreed with the Percassi family on a partnership aimed at boosting the team’s appeal outside of Europe, according to a statement on Saturday (Feb 19).

It added that the Percassi family will keep a 45 per cent stake in La Dea, the holding company that has about 86 per cent of Atalanta. The family will remain the single biggest investor in the club. 

Atalanta are in fifth spot in Serie A – Italy’s premier  league – after finishing third last season, which qualified the Bergamo-based club to play in Europe’s Champions League competition this year. 

Pagliuca is also part of a growing list of financiers in the owners’ boxes of professional sports franchises, serving as managing general partner and member of the executive committee of the National Basketball Association’s Boston Celtics.