The Roman prosecutor's office has requested a trial against Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis on charges of accounting fraud related to the financial statements for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
In addition to the club president, prosecutors Lorenzo Del Giudice and Giorgio Orano are demanding a trial against the club itself and De Laurentiis' right-hand man – Andrea Chiavelli.
At the center of the investigation are alleged fictitious capital gains from the transfers of defender Kostas Manolas from Roma in the summer of 2019 and striker Victor Osimhen from the French Lille in 2020. Lawyers Fabio Fulgeri and Lorenzo Contrada, who represent Aurelio De Laurentiis and Napoli, said that “their clients are completely innocent of the charges brought by the Rome prosecutor's office regarding financial irregularities for the period 2019-2021“
The deal for Osimhen to Napoli included goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis and three young players: Claudio Manzi, Ciro Palmieri and Luigi Liguori, who were valued between 4 and 7 million euros (Karnezis – over 5 million). The Nigerian striker was purchased for 76,356,819 euros. At the same time, Napoli sold the four players to Lille, generating capital gains of just under 20 million euros.
Manolas was sold for 36 million euros and – according to official financial statements – brought in a profit of 31.1 million. This serious accusation comes at a time when Napoli are at the top of Serie A, 2 points ahead of second-placed Inter, and risk being punished, most likely with a points deduction.