"Napoli is not for sale," Aurelio De Laurentiis told TuttoMercatoWeb, in comments translated from Italian after his appearance on Radio Kiss Kiss. That was the blunt headline from a rare public response to fresh ownership noise around Napoli. He also gave more detail than usual, naming Matt Rizzetta, describing talks with two funds, and outlining a payment structure he clearly had no interest in accepting.
The denial is straightforward. The rest of his account makes it clear why the story has not disappeared.
The Rizzetta talks never got past the early stage
De Laurentiis said the contact started about a year ago, when Rizzetta requested a meeting. He said he did not know the businessman, but accepted the meeting out of politeness, and that Rizzetta then introduced him to two funds he represented.
Quoted by TuttoMercatoWeb in comments translated from Italian, De Laurentiis said: "At a certain point, about a year ago, I received a request for a meeting from Matt Rizzetta, whom I did not know. Out of politeness I replied and accepted the meeting. He introduced me to a couple of funds that he represented. These funds wanted to buy Napoli. This happened until last February-March. At a certain point we had our lawyers and theirs confront each other. Before giving an actual value - I said - a due diligence has to be done. And I had made all the group's administration available. But this due diligence never started."
That last part is important because it cuts against any suggestion that the process was close to completion. By De Laurentiis' version, the talks were real, but still stuck at the stage where lawyers were talking and the buyer side had not moved into formal examination of the books.
There is another dispute inside the story. Some reporting has framed the approach as a €2.2 billion proposal in two tranches. De Laurentiis described it differently. In the same interview, he said: "In the end this figure of €2 billion and €260 million they wanted to pay partly immediately on signing and another part in three years."
That does not settle the exact number, but it does settle his objection. He was not talking only about price. He was also talking about structure, and he made clear that deferred payment was part of the problem.
The price is huge, but so is the control he wants to keep
De Laurentiis also used the moment to remind people that he has turned down big numbers before. Quoted by TuttoMercatoWeb in comments translated from Italian, he said: "If there was a proposal from the Arabs years ago? It was €3.5 billion and my answer was 'But do I have to go into retirement or do I still have to enjoy myself?'."
Whether that old figure is taken as negotiating theatre or not, it fits the message he wanted out in public. He is not presenting himself as an owner waiting for an exit. He is presenting himself as someone who still sees the club as his project.
That is where the most revealing line from Sky Sport Italia came in. In comments translated from Italian, De Laurentiis said: "Napoli is not for sale - Aurelio De Laurentiis's words - I met Rizzetta, they wanted to pay part of the two billion at signing, another part in three years. For the moment I have not decided to sell, if I had to do it I would prefer a Neapolitan and not an American"
That preference is unusually specific. Owners often talk about protecting identity in broad terms. De Laurentiis narrowed it to geography. If there is ever a handover, he wants it to stay tied to Naples.
The stadium project still sits at the centre
The ownership noise is landing while Napoli are 9th in Serie A with 10 points from 7 matches, and 22nd in the Champions League table. That gives every off-field comment more attention than it would get during a smoother run.
But De Laurentiis pushed the discussion back to the issue he has raised for years, a new stadium. Quoted by Sky Sport Italia in comments translated from Italian, he said: "When he brings up selling Napoli, I tell him not to get this soap opera going again. I want to build the stadium, and that will require a huge commitment, physically, too. He probably would have been happy with the Maradona. With a new stadium elsewhere, it would be wonderful to turn the Maradona site into a large park full of greenery."
That sounds much closer to a succession test than a sale pitch. Anyone serious about taking over would need to match his appetite for that wider project, not just meet a headline number.
So the public line remains firm: Napoli are not on the market. The more interesting detail is that De Laurentiis still chose to sketch the sort of offer he rejected, the payment terms he disliked, and the type of buyer he would rather see if his position ever changes.
FAQ
Are Napoli actually for sale right now?
Aurelio De Laurentiis says they are not. Speaking on Radio Kiss Kiss, in comments reported by TuttoMercatoWeb, he said: "Napoli is not for sale." He also said he has not decided to sell and described the recent contact as talks that never got as far as due diligence.
Why did the Matt Rizzetta talks over Napoli go nowhere?
De Laurentiis said Rizzetta introduced him to two funds that wanted to buy Napoli, and the discussions ran until last February-March. He said both sides' lawyers spoke and he made the group's administration available for due diligence, but the due diligence process never started.
How much was the proposed Napoli offer said to be?
The exact figure is disputed, so it is safer to treat it as attributed rather than settled. De Laurentiis described it as "€2 billion and €260 million" with part paid on signing and part over three years. Other reporting has framed it as €2.2 billion split into two tranches.
Would De Laurentiis prefer an Italian buyer for Napoli?
He went even narrower than that. In comments reported by Sky Sport Italia, De Laurentiis said that if he ever chose to part with the club, he would prefer "a Neapolitan and not an American." That fits with his wider insistence on guarantees and long-term alignment, not just money.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
