Who is Stephen Pagliuca? Boston Celtics co-owner profiled amid Manchester United takeover talk

American investor Stephen Pagliuca refused to rule out an interest in a potential takeover of Manchester United when asked about the prospect at the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.

Stateside interest in United has been rumoured in recent months after the club's owners announced they had began a process to "explore strategic alternatives". Since then, New York-headquartered hedge fund Elliott have reportedly 'offered to provide the financing for a bid' but are not interested in an outright takeover.

Along similar lines, Los Angeles-based buyout financier Ares have also reportedly offered funds to assist any potential bidder. Pagliuca, though, is the first American individual to publicly respond to questions about their interest in United, and we've profiled the New Yorker, who already has plenty of involvement in sport across Europe and North America.

READ MORE: Boston Celtics co-owner Pagliuca responds to United takeover question

The 68-year-old is a private equity investor and co-chair of Boston-based firm Bain Capital, a position he has held since 2016. Pagliuca first joined the company in the 1980s after previously working as an accountant and international tax specialist at the organisation that is now known as KPMG.

His career has also seen him serve on the board of directors at a diverse range of companies such as restaurant chain Burger King, pharmaceutical company Warner Chilcott, management consulting company Gartner Group and the Hospital Corporation of America.

Pagliuca is also involved in politics and is a member of Congressman Joe Kennedy's Finance Committee, the Campaign to Fix the Debt and the Democratic National Advisory Committee. Back in 2009, he was also a Democratic candidate for a U.S.