Joey Saputo close to buying stake in Bologna FC, Potential partnership for the Impact

Reports from Italy's Corriere Dello Sport Bologna have been confirmed when Joey Saputo arrived in Bologna, earlier this week,on Monday. The Montréal Impact owner/president is close to buy a stake in FC Bologna with former AS Roma vice president and lawyer Joseph Tacopina.

Speaking to Bologna-based media, the Montreal Impact owner and president said he was still considering his options.

Tacopina is a friend of mine and he invited me to take part in the project of buying Bologna. There's nothing definitive, I'm here to see if there's a possibility or not. I will stay in Bologna the next few days to evaluate.

An agreement is said to be reached by the end of the week but no details on Joey Saputo's stake into this venture.

Partnership by acquisition

Whether the purchase actually happens or not is not as indicative as the apparent switch of the Impact from a soccer/football club to a business organization that is into the business of the beautiful game. The organizational changes , announced a few weeks ago, saw a repositioning of the Impact as it has added more depth at the corporate level with three new VPs. With the objective to stop shedding money and actually make a profit, there is change in the air but we are not of its exact nature yet.

With Nick de Santis given an '' international role'', it is no surprise to see the ex-Sporting Director with his friend in Bologna. But his involvement indicates that a potential partial takeover of Bologna FC , by Joey Saputo, is indicative of a desire to establish deep sporting roots in a market where the Saputo name has an impact, pun not intended.

What could the club get from this partnership by acquisition? The list is potentially infinite but key ones could be

• Direct access to the Serie A, Serie B market : I thought this was established already...
• Cross-Marketing opportunities between clubs in the same way Toronto FC established with Tottenham HotSpurs during the Jermaine Defoe acquisition : Andrea '' I Think Therefore I Play '' Pirlo or his equivalent in Bologna.
• Get expertise from the Bologna FC structure of coaching staff and technical experts : The next head coach for the Montreal Impact?

And the possibilities could be as long as Joey Saputo's potential stake into Bologna FC and what it entails. This case could be similar to the natural partnership between Inter Milan and D.C. United with both clubs having the same owner, Erick Thohir.

Not to say that both situations could be exactly the same, but the Impact is taking a global march much sooner than expected especially for such a young club in MLS.

Say Saputo!!!

Joey Saputo and Nick De Santis with Juventus' head honchos to establish potential partnerships.