Business · Companies · 1 day ago
De Laurentiis says he may sell Napoli, but prefers a Neapolitan buyer
Aurelio De Laurentiis says he may eventually sell Napoli, the Italian football club he has owned for 22 years.
He says the club is not for sale outright, but he could step aside in two, three or five years if someone repaid his efforts.
Matt Rizzetta has publicly said he wants to buy Napoli and build a sports group around it.
De Laurentiis says he rejected a €2.2 billion proposal after a review of the club because he would have had to give up control gradually.
He says he might prefer a buyer from Naples rather than an American one, though he has not named a preferred buyer.
The club’s future stadium is also part of the discussion: De Laurentiis wants a new stadium, while he said Rizzetta would have accepted the Diego Maradona stadium.
No sale or next step has been confirmed in the available information.
Aurelio De Laurentiis said he might sell Napoli, but would prefer a Neapolitan buyer rather than an American one.
He said he had rejected a 2.2 billion euro offer from Matt Rizzetta after being asked to gradually step aside.
Rizzetta, an Italian-American investor who has invested in Italian sports, has publicly said he wants to buy Napoli.
De Laurentiis has also said Napoli is not for sale and that he could consider handing over the club in two, three or five years.
He has led Napoli for 22 years, during which the club won two league titles and other trophies.
- Who
- Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis and prospective buyer Matt Rizzetta.
- What
- De Laurentiis said he may sell Napoli, preferably to a Neapolitan buyer, and said he rejected Rizzetta’s 2.2 billion euro offer.
- When
- De Laurentiis made the comments in the days before the article was published on October 23, 2026.
- Where
- Napoli, Italy.
- Why
- De Laurentiis said he would consider a sale if someone could repay his sacrifices, but he was unwilling to step aside gradually for Rizzetta.
Aurelio De Laurentiis
Matt Rizzetta
Preferred buyer
Aurelio De Laurentiis
De Laurentiis said he might sell to a Neapolitan rather than an American.
Matt Rizzetta
Rizzetta has publicly said he wants to buy Napoli.
Terms of a sale
Aurelio De Laurentiis
De Laurentiis said he rejected Rizzetta’s 2.2 billion euro offer because he would have had to step aside gradually.
Matt Rizzetta
Rizzetta said he was ready to take over and carry on De Laurentiis’s legacy.
De Laurentiis took over Napoli after the club’s bankruptcy, according to the article.
Rizzetta publicly expressed his wish to buy Napoli, while De Laurentiis discussed a possible sale.
De Laurentiis said he rejected Rizzetta’s 2.2 billion euro offer because he would have had to gradually step aside.
Il Fatto Quotidiano published its report on De Laurentiis’s comments about a possible sale.
- Potential offer
- 2.2 billion euros from Matt Rizzetta, rejected
- Ownership tenure
- 22 years under Aurelio De Laurentiis
- Possible handover
- De Laurentiis mentioned two, three or five years
- Club achievements
- Two league titles, three Italian Cups and two Italian Super Cups
- Preferred buyer
- A Neapolitan, rather than an American
What people are saying
maybe to a Neapolitan and not to an American
Napoli is not for sale
I am here, I would be honored to carry forward the legacy of what De Laurentiis has built with the club. I would do everything and more not to disappoint the fans