Northampton Town Football Club has confirmed that it has reached an agreement with a group of investors, including former Brazilian footballer Alexandre Pato, regarding a potential investment in the club. The deal involves Sports Alpha Capital (SAC), a financial firm, which is seeking to acquire a shareholding in the League Two side. The proposed transaction has already received approval from the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and the English Football League (EFL), and the club expects to finalize the deal next week. Northampton’s chairman, Kelvin Thomas, expressed optimism about the progress, noting that while football club deals can be complex and take longer than expected, the club is pleased to move forward with the investment. Joao Xavier, a founding partner at Sports Alpha Capital, said the approval from the IFR and EFL was a crucial step and that the group is looking forward to completing the deal soon. SAC had previously considered a takeover of Colchester United but withdrew from talks earlier this year. Pato, who is listed as one of SAC’s investors, is best known for his time at AC Milan, where he played for over five years and helped the team win the Serie A title in 2010-11. Northampton has had a challenging year, having been relegated from League One to League Two last season after finishing at the bottom of the table. The club recently recorded a pre-tax loss of nearly £3 million but has stated that the new investment would help eliminate its debt. In an effort to rebuild, Northampton appointed Chris Hogg as their manager in May and signed 13 new players during the summer transfer window, including striker Matty Warhurst, who joined from Manchester City. The club’s recent performance has shown signs of improvement, with their first win of the season coming on September 5 when they defeated Newport County at home. With the new investment expected to provide financial stability, Northampton hopes to turn around its fortunes in League Two and rebuild the club for future success.