Napoli’s future could move east, away from the concrete bowl that has carried the club through generations. Aurelio De Laurentiis has set out plans for a privately funded 70,000-seat stadium in Naples, while also preparing a new training complex to replace Castel Volturno.
A new stadium vision for Naples
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De Laurentiis said Napoli had identified a 38-hectare site in the eastern part of the city for a new ground.
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The proposed stadium would hold 70,000 spectators and include 120 hospitality boxes, restaurants and other commercial facilities.
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Plans also include an interactive museum developed with staff working for De Laurentiis in Los Angeles. Visitors would be able to take part in virtual football experiences alongside former Napoli figures including Diego Maradona, Edinson Cavani and Gonzalo Higuain.
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The Napoli owner said the project could be completed within 24 months and insisted he would not seek financial support from others.
De Laurentiis outlined the project while receiving an award from the Foreign Press Association in Rome on Wednesday evening. Napoli had already expressed a desire for a new stadium last year, with Euro 2032 among the major events in view.
Disagreement over the Maradona stadium
The proposal comes as local authorities favour renovating the current Diego-Armando-Maradona Stadium rather than building a replacement.
Opened in 1959, the ground was known as the San Paolo until 2020. It belongs to the City of Naples, which leases it to the club for matchdays. Its 60,000-capacity layout includes an athletics track separating supporters from the pitch, while its ageing concrete structure has frequently drawn criticism and has been regarded as one of Serie A’s least modern venues.
De Laurentiis believes the stadium should instead be demolished and the land used for new housing. He dismissed the prospect of a €200 million modernisation programme, arguing that such an investment would only make a superficial difference to the venue.
Training base also set for change
Napoli are also planning a new home for their first-team and academy operations.
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The club has located 17.5 hectares of land in Qualiano, a municipality north-west of Naples.
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The site is intended to contain 10 football pitches.
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There would be 7,500 square metres of buildings, divided between offices and changing-room facilities.
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The complex would serve both the senior squad and Napoli’s youth teams, replacing the existing Castel Volturno training centre.
Napoli are ninth in Serie A after five matches, but De Laurentiis is looking far beyond the opening weeks of the campaign, with the club’s stadium and training infrastructure now central to his long-term agenda.
