De Laurentiis: ‘Conte upset, but could not give Kvaratskhelia satisfaction’ | OneFootball

Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis admits Antonio Conte was ‘upset’ at the sale of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but ‘I could not give the satisfaction’ of letting the player go as a free agent.

The opening Champions League trip to Manchester City kicks off at the Etihad City of Manchester Stadium at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.

The Hollywood movie producer combined his two careers by making a documentary film of the Scudetto-winning season, which will be in Italian cinemas from September 24.

“We filmed hours and hours of interviews as the season went on, because we wanted to document everything and ensure we could share those emotions that the Napoli fans were feeling,” De Laurentiis told Sky Sport Italia.

Napoli are back in the Champions League, having only focused on Serie A last season, and begin the tournament in its new format in Manchester.

“Unfortunately, the new Champions League will not allow us to host Manchester City, we did it with Mazzarri and portentously won there, sending Mancini home, while it didn’t go as well with Sarri.

“We hope to have a great performance tonight to honour the shirt. It is also the first time in this new format of the Champions League, so let’s play with great emotion and ardour, let’s hope, but also not despair if something positive doesn’t happen.

“Hope springs eternal, the Champions League is a longer tournament, I have great faith in Antonio Conte’s capabilities and the strength of the squad at his disposal.”

De Laurentiis on difficult relationship with Conte

NAPLES, ITALY – JUNE 26: Antonio Conte new SSC Napoli head coach and Aurelio De Laurentiis SSC Napoli president during SSC Napoli new manager unveiling on June 26, 2024 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

De Laurentiis was asked about his at times fractious rapport with coach Conte, which seemed to be on the verge of a split straight after the Scudetto success. What convinced him to stay on?

“It was very important that Antonio absorbed, unlike perhaps his previous experiences, the passion that runs all the way through every street in Naples. While Naples was the real European Capital in the 16th Century, I can tell you today that I have houses in Rome and Los Angeles, I feel like a different person in Naples. Wherever you look, there is beauty, and I find it the most sensational city in Italy.

“I believe this had a strong effect on Antonio.”

PARIS, FRANCE – SEPTEMBER 17: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Atalanta BC at Parc des Princes on September 17, 2025 in Paris, France. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images)

De Laurentiis also hinted at the row in January over selling Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain, as he was not effectively replaced.

“We also had that success that he deserved, because with all the setbacks we had, he was able to reshuffle the cards. He might’ve been upset at losing Kvara, but I could not risk losing the player as a free agent. I couldn’t give that satisfaction to the player, his agent, and father, so we had to sell in January.

“San Gennaro then had his impact too, and with his help we were able to bring home that wonderful victory,” added the President.

De Laurentiis is working on the construction of a new training centre and wants to build a new stadium to replace the Stadio Maradona.

“The most powerful football in the world is English and Saudi Arabian, the rest of the world is struggling to make the revenue grow in Italy, France, Germany and Spain. They were extraordinary in England in deciding the first team promoted gets a minimum €100m in television rights, so if we were to do that in other European leagues, the level of investment would be very different. It always comes back down to money.”