Napoli chief, De Laurentiis Faces Trial Over Osimhen Deal
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has been ordered to stand trial on charges of false accounting, with prosecutors focusing heavily on the controversial transfer that brought Victor Osimhen to the club in 2020.
The Rome preliminary hearings judge confirmed that De Laurentiis, his long-time associate Andrea Chiavelli, and Napoli itself will face proceedings linked to alleged irregularities in the club’s financial statements for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 seasons.
While the case also involves the earlier signing of Kostas Manolas from Roma, it is the Osimhen deal that has drawn the most scrutiny. Napoli secured the Nigerian striker from Lille in a transaction that included goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis and three youth players, Claudio Manzi, Ciro Palmieri and Luigi Liguori.
Prosecutors argue that the valuations of those players were artificially inflated, creating capital gains that improved Napoli’s financial position on paper.
Osimhen’s arrival was a landmark moment for the club, with the striker quickly becoming one of Serie A’s most valuable assets and a central figure in Napoli’s resurgence. However, the financial structure of the deal has remained under investigation, and it now forms the cornerstone of the charges against De Laurentiis.
The trial is scheduled to begin on December 2, 2026. Despite the gravity of the accusations, Napoli will not face sporting sanctions. FIGC prosecutor Giuseppe Chinè had already closed the sporting investigation in 2022, ensuring the club’s league status and points tally remain unaffected.
