Bergamo-based Atalanta joined the exclusive club of Serie A teams who own their own stadium when their offer for the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia was accepted yesterday.

The city government said in a statement that Atalanta had agreed to pay €8.6 million, 10 per cent more than the initial asking price, for the ageing ground which was first opened in 1928 and is in need of modernisation.

Atalanta became the fourth of the 20 current Serie A sides to own their stadium alongside Juventus, Udinese and Sassuolo. Most of the remainder play in municipality-owned stadiums including Milan and Inter Milan who share the San Siro.

Bergamo’s city government said the terms of the sale included a clause that the stadium, which has a capacity of 26,500 and is mostly uncovered, must be redeveloped within the next six years.

The public ownership of stadiums in Italy means that clubs are unable to modernise their facilities and make money from mega-stores, restaurants and music events, unlike their English and German counterparts.

Roma are currently planning their own 52,000-capacity stadium while Milan and Inter both agree an alternative is needed to the current setup at the San Siro.

Turin-based Juventus have flourished since replacing the over-sized Stadio delle Alpi, regarded as soulless by the club’s fans, with the smaller and more compact Juventus Stadium on the same site in 2011.