Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis reveals €3.5bn offer from Arab investors

Napoli owner and president Aurelio De Laurentiis says he received a €3.5bn offer from Arab investors to buy the Italian club.

De Laurentiis, who has led Napoli since acquiring the club, said he had rejected the approach because he did not want to retire.

“I was offered €3.5bn by Arabs to buy Napoli, but I did not want to retire,” he told Radio Kiss Kiss.

“I still know how to make films, as well as football, which I knew nothing about at the beginning. I learned it despite countless difficulties.”

De Laurentiis is also a film producer and has owned Napoli since 2004. Under his leadership, the club have won Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana.

He said he had not decided to sell Napoli, but made clear that, if he eventually chose to do so, he would prefer a local buyer rather than an American owner.

“I have not decided to sell, but if I did, I would prefer to sell to someone from Naples rather than to an American owner,” De Laurentiis added.

He also indicated that a change of ownership could take place in the coming years if the right local figure emerged.

“If someone from Naples wants to take over and take responsibility from me in two, three or five years, that is fine,” he said.

Napoli are currently ninth in the Serie A table with 10 points.

Their most recent match ended in a 4-3 victory over Bodø/Glimt in the third round of the league phase of the Champions League.

The result lifted Napoli to three points in the competition, although they sit 22nd in the Champions League table.