The owner does not rule out folding, but the club’s valuation remains an issue to be resolved. In the background, Rizzetta’s pressing and the rumors about Aponte’s wishes for MSC.
Aurelio De Laurentiis is no longer in the trenches, selling Napoli is possible. Maybe not immediately, but without considering the issue of detachment from the club recovered from the rubble of bankruptcy in 2004 and led to winning two championships, it is no longer a taboo. The owner of the Neapolitans says it openly and it is also admitted by those who are in contact with him to understand what form, evaluation and timing to give to a negotiation that until a few months ago was rejected without the possibility of appeal.
It is still a long and non-linear path, given that while it is opening up to the sale, ADL is also working with the Municipality to lay the foundations of the latest and most challenging projects of its twenty-year management: the stadium and the sports centre. Two pieces that the Filmauro producer wants to add to the company to increase the price and to close the circle of a story that was triumphant from a sporting point of view but which has not yet left anything tangible as a legacy to those who come after. A stalemate that does not allow Napoli to imagine being able to bridge the gap with the great Northern clubs, especially now that Milan and Inter are also rushing towards the construction of the new San Siro, and with the uncomfortable proximity of Friedkin’s Roma which is quickly doing what has remained locked in a drawer for ten years.
How much does Napoli cost? In De Laurentiis’ head, putting together past, present and future, no less than 2 billion euros. An enormous sum, if you consider that the two Milanese clubs have changed hands in recent years for much less, around 1.2 billion, and today they still cannot imagine returning to the market for almost double that. The owner of Napoli, however, is a skilled businessman and the summary of his position is in the opening thoughts entrusted to the press at the start of this season: “If there is anyone ready to pay for my efforts of a quarter of a century, come forward and we will evaluate him”.
There would be some, or rather there is. And not only that Matt Rizzetta at the head of the made in USA consortium which is investing heavily in Naples and which has relaunched basketball by returning to fill the sports hall while also dreaming of the arrival of NBA Europe. The rumors about the interest of MSC, historic Neapolitan partner of recent years with the guidance of Gianluigi Apontethey don’t stop circulating also because it would mean putting the club in the hands of a giant with sufficient economic possibilities to guarantee future growth.
The person who exposed himself the most was undoubtedly Rizzetta. Rejected at first, the Napoli Basket number one was contacted again by ADL and the meetings served to pave the way. The 2 billion euro valuation is considered excessive by the group of US investors headed by him, but the feeling is that the second half of the game has only begun. After seeing De Laurentiis, Rizzetta did not deny anything: “With De Laurentiis there is a very good relationship, of maximum respect. I am there, I would be honored to carry on the legacy of what he built by taking the club out of bankruptcy more than 20 years ago. One day I would have the pleasure of taking on this commitment and this responsibility. I can reassure the public that I would do not everything, but more to not disappoint them”.
The project is broad and does not only concern the football club: “My vision has always been to build a sports center in Naples, uniting all efforts around a single brand that represents the most beautiful and warmest square in the world. Whether it’s rugby, futsal, football, we ultimately want to get there by doing things in the right way and with serious planning. We have quite clear ideas. I think that within a few years, we will certainly get there.”
De Laurentiis observes and moves his pieces. The news is that after so many years the sale of the Neapolitans is no longer something to be ruled out regardless. For ADL it would represent an important step backwards also on a personal level, given that over time its main activity has increasingly shifted from the world of cinema to that of football.
