Celtics Co-Owner Stephen Pagliuca-Led Group Purchases Part of Serie A Club Atalanta

Boston Celtics co-owner Stephen Pagliuca is among the American investors who've purchased a 55-percent ownership stake in Italian soccer club Atalanta.

Susy Campanale of Football Italia reported Saturday the agreement allows the Percassi family to remain the single largest shareholder with its 45-percent stake.

"Antonio and Luca Percassi will retain their respective roles of chairman and CEO of the club, while Stephen Pagliuca will be appointed co-chairman of the club," the Serie A team said in a statement.

Atalanta finished third in the 20-team top flight of Italian soccer last season. La Dea sit fifth in the Serie A table and will spend the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign trying to fight for a spot in the top four, which leads to a berth in next season's UEFA Champions League.

The club finished third in its group in this season's UCL behind England's Manchester United and Spain's Villarreal, sending it out of the competition and into the Europa League knockout playoffs.

Atalanta was founded in 1907, and the Percassi family said its goal with the sale to American investors is to help broaden the global appeal of the club, per Campanale.

Pagliuca also released a statement as part of the sale, saying the Italian side and the Celtics share a lot in common:

"We are thrilled to partner with the Percassi family and to support the future development of the club. Atalanta and Boston Celtics share the common sports values: teamwork and an extraordinary relationship with the fans and the community. We believe that the Percassi family has built very solid foundations on which to work together to strengthen the brand globally, with the aim of encouraging further diversification and growth of revenues, allowing the club to become more and more competitive on Italian and international scene."

Pagliuca, a 67-year-old New York City native who's made his fortune through the Bain Capital investment firm, serves as the managing partner and alternate governor of the Celtics.

No other members of the investment group were mentioned by name in the announcement.

Atalanta's next match is scheduled for Sunday when it visits Stadio Artemio Franchi to take on Fiorentina in Serie A.