New reading says Aponte wants neither Napoli nor a stadium

Until three days ago, the talk was all about Geneva. On 27 and 28 October Aurelio De Laurentiis met Gianluigi and Diego Aponte, the men at the top of MSC, twice. That led to speculation that Gianluigi Aponte might buy the club outright.

It starts with the money already on the table. According to this version, the €18m MSC pays in sponsorship is the limit Aponte will not go beyond. It also says he was irritated by the project De Laurentiis is said to have put to him, which sold the team and the city as one package.

It is worth being clear about what this is. It is a second-hand reading, not a statement from Aponte. Those putting it forward admit they do not know him personally. They are talking about his intentions, not about documents or rejected offers.

The stadium and the city council

One point had stayed on the margins until now. On this reading, the main reason Aponte would not build a stadium is to avoid crossing the Comune, the city council. He is described as a cautious man who would never go against the institutional line.

If that holds, the obstacle is not money. It is city politics. And for anyone who buys Napoli, a stadium in Naples has to go through Palazzo San Giacomo, the city hall.

For us, the more interesting part is how the account describes De Laurentiis's strategy. The president is said to be looking for a buyer willing to use Napoli to identify a site for redevelopment around a sports facility.

The logic underneath is brutal. Without proper infrastructure, Napoli the business is worth little or nothing, not least because the squad has players nearing the end of their careers. What is worth a lot is the Napoli name. So is the city. That is why De Laurentiis wants to sell his vision of club and city together, to push the price up.

That leaves a question we will keep asking. If the value lies in the brand and the city rather than in what surrounds the team, then after 22 years in charge, the list of missing facilities is also a verdict on the man who has run the club. This is not a trial. It is the same logic that, according to this reading, the president uses to set his price: Napoli would be worth more for what it could become than for what it is.

In public, the line has not moved since 22-23 October. When reports emerged that the club was for sale for €2bn, De Laurentiis replied:

"Napoli is not for sale."

There is another table too, Matt Rizzetta's. There is talk of a possible improved offer of up to €1.5-1.6bn, after the president turned down €2bn in March. With MSC already the sponsor, there are at least two parties at the table. In the meantime, the accounts contradict each other from one day to the next.

The pitch, at least, is not waiting for Geneva. On Sunday 1 November at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET), Juventus and Napoli meet at the Allianz Stadium level on 14 points, with Landucci on the bench in place of the suspended Allegri. The club's future ownership can wait. Seventh place cannot.