Napoli President de Laurentiis confirmed plans to buy land for new stadium. GETTY IMAGES
Serie A side Napoli President Aurelio de Laurentiis confirmed he is "purchasing land for a new stadium," according to FOOTBALL ITALIA. De Laurentiis outlined "future plans for his club," including investing in the infrastructure of the Partenopei and making it a "more modern outfit." He said, "We have started restructuring the Castel Volturno training ground and you’ll see the changes when it is completed. The intention would be to have 12 training pitches, based on the Manchester City model. I sent our architects to study it. We would have hotels, offices, the youth academy. Meanwhile, the main team would remain at Castel Volturno. I also signed a deal with a specialist company to find 100 hectares of land to purchase. The stadium would hold 30,000, but also be suitable to entertainment events" (FOOTBALL ITALIA, 7/15). In London, Joe Short reported Cristiano Ronaldo "could have joined Napoli before sealing his Juventus transfer." Real Madrid's "perceived failure" to financially cover allegations of tax fraud reportedly "irked" the Portugal int'l. Juventus "snapped up Ronaldo" in a £105M ($138.9M) deal earlier this week. But "not before he was offered to Napoli first." That is according to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, which claimed Ronaldo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, "first made the proposal earlier this summer." De Laurentiis reportedly "ascertained the 33-year-old was available but further talks with Mendes made it clear Napoli could not afford" his £26M ($34.4M)-a-season wage demands, "let alone his transfer fee" (EXPRESS, 7/15).
