Aurelio De Laurentiis, owner and president of Napoli, has reportedly set his sights on building a new stadium for the Serie A club instead of redeveloping the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The move would reduce the likelihood of Naples being a host city during UEFA Euro 2032, which Italy will stage alongside Turkey.
De Laurentiis met with Mayor of Naples Gaetano Manfredi earlier this week. According to Italian newspaper la Repubblica, the Napoli owner informed Manfredi that he is “not interested” in a redevelopment project for the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
Instead, De Laurentiis is said to favour building a new 60,000-seat stadium, although no details on the location or timescale for such a project have been communicated.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is required to inform UEFA of its five host venues for Euro 2032 by the middle of 2026. Any uncertainty surrounding Napoli’s stadium future would limit the chances of it making the cut.
Stadio Diego Armando Maradona first opened in 1959 and has a current capacity of over 54,000. The stadium was formerly known as San Paolo but was renamed in honour of the Napoli and Argentina legend, who died in 2020.
In May last year, De Laurentiis dropped a proposal to develop a new 60,000-seat stadium in the Bagnoli quarter of Naples in favour of redeveloping the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, but he now appears to have changed his mind.
The cost of rebuilding the current stadium is said to be too expensive for De Laurentiis. Napoli would also have to find a temporary home while the stadium is being rebuilt.
The club is set to stay at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona for the immediate future, with a potential new stadium viewed as a long-term project.
