Napoli sale: €2.2bn offer, near-€1bn gain and a question for the fans

Aurelio De Laurentiis says Napoli is not for sale, but the reasoning doing the rounds is that the question is when, not if. With a €2.2bn offer attributed to Rizzetta, turning it down would have been a mistake.

by Rosaria CimminoMonday 26 October, 21:15 CET· 2 hours ago

Aurelio De Laurentiis — Foto: Presidenza della Repubblica · Attribution

Napoli are 10th on 11 points after a 3-3 draw with Roma that threw away a 2-0 lead. Yet the most discussed topic this week is another one: who will own the club.

The argument going round, and one we think holds together, is that at this stage of his business career it would be normal for Aurelio De Laurentiis to consider selling. It is not a question of "if", but of "when".

The key is the figure. If the €2.2bn offer attributed to Rizzetta were real, refusing it would have been a mistake. Nobody can say for certain that the money was ever put on the table, but the judgement holds even allowing for staged payments, which are entirely normal in company acquisitions.

Timing and payment terms are exactly where, according to lawyer Franco Gianni, the talks collapsed. He speaks of a discussion around €2.25-2.26bn, with nothing signed.

The club as the main asset

Napoli are the most important asset in the De Laurentiis family's portfolio. The parent company, Filmauro, had revenue of €13m in 2025 and €8m in 2024. Against those numbers, the capital gain from selling the club could approach €1bn. That scale explains why the matter cannot be waved away with a joke.

On jokes, one point needs stating. The "revelation" that unnamed Arab investors were ready to pay €3.5bn is a boutade, a throwaway claim: an absurd sum for an Italian club, perhaps reasonable for the top end of the Premier League. Talking up the value of what you sell is the ABC of a good salesman.

What remains is the gap between the known positions. Rizzetta's group had offered €1.3bn. De Laurentiis will not go below €2bn and has said plainly: "Napoli is not for sale".

As supporters, our uncomfortable question is a different one. Last season Napoli finished second on 76 points. Now they have their worst start since 2009/10 and sit 10th. The fanbase is asking whether the sporting project is still at the front of the minds of those running the club, or whether their attention is already elsewhere.

We have no evidence that it is, and we are not putting anyone on trial. But with a negotiation worth more than €2bn, the club's silence on the future of its ownership says more than an answer would.

Meanwhile, Napoli face Monza at the U-Power Stadium on Wednesday 28 October at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET), with Landucci on the bench. On the pitch, ownership is another matter: there the answers come in points, not figures.