Italian giants SSC Napoli have reportedly received a massive €2 billion takeover proposal from a U.S.-based investment consortium seeking to acquire the club from the Aurelio De Laurentiis family.
According to The Athletic, negotiations are being led by Underdog Global Partners (UGP), which is spearheading an ambitious project aimed at expanding Napoli into a multi-sport powerhouse.
De Laurentiis famously rescued Napoli from bankruptcy in 2004, guiding the club back to the top of Italian football and ending a 33-year Serie A title drought in 2023. Under his ownership, Napoli has won two Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia trophies, and one Supercoppa Italiana.
While Napoli is reportedly not officially for sale, the UGP-led group has continued talks over the past six months in an attempt to convince De Laurentiis to sell the club.
UGP already has experience in Italian sports investments. The group owns a majority stake in Campobasso, a Serie C club, and acquired controlling shares in Napoli Basketball last year.
One of the key aspects of the proposal reportedly includes major infrastructure investments, particularly the privatization and redevelopment of Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The consortium is also believed to be preparing a future application for the planned NBA Europe competition, targeting the league’s expected launch in 2027. Napoli’s football and basketball teams would become part of a broader multi-sport structure.
Although negotiations have reportedly stalled over several issues raised by De Laurentiis, the American-backed group is still hoping to revive discussions and complete the takeover.
Should the deal go through, De Laurentiis would secure one of the biggest profits in sports ownership history, having purchased Napoli in 2004 for less than two percent of the current reported offer.