Ex-Chelsea striker now worth £100m wants to buy this League Two club: report

Colchester United hosted the Brazilian over the weekend with local reports claiming the ex-Stamford Bridge striker is interested in buying the club.

Alexandre Pato spent much of his career overseas but did represent Chelsea briefly during the 2015/16 season, whilst on loan from Corinthians.

The 36-year-old hung up his boots in 2023 after spells in Spain, China, Brazil and the United States and is reportedly worth upwards of £100 million.

Alexandre Pato in talks with Colchester United owner

Colchester chairman Robbie Cowling has put the club on the market and wishes to sell to a responsible buyer, previously stating, via the Daily Gazette: “I’ve said this before, I want my last decision at the club to be my absolute best decision and that’s going to be who I hand it on to.

“I think it’s going to take a bit of time; we’ve got to make sure we find the right people that deserve to take on this football club and take it to another level.”

Pato was spotted at Colchester's 2-1 win over Fleetwood Town last weekend

At this stage, it is unclear how advanced talks are between the two parties, how the investment would be structured or what sort of stake Pato would have if a deal could be agreed.

Pato spent six years with AC Milan after breaking through at Internacional in his homeland. He later turned out for Chinese Super League side Tianjin Tianhai during the country's late-2010s football boom.

It is likely at this time Pato accumulated the majority of his personal fortune.

Colchester are currently eighth in League Two. This year is their tenth consecutive season in English football's fourth tier.