The future is now: Napoli move on from the player trading model | OneFootball

De Laurentiis's Napoli has closed the era of capital gains as the main engine: with Conte, the time has come to win immediately, investing in ready players and infrastructure that mark the final consecration among the greats.

The future is now: Napoli abandons the capital gains model

In the second decade of De Laurentiis's management, Napoli has written its own rebirth by focusing on a clear model: buying promising young players, enhancing them, and selling them at the right time. A formula that has produced mammoth capital gains, fueling the economic engine of the club year after year. Just think of Cavani, Koulibaly, Jorginho, Osimhen or Kvaratskhelia: each of them has represented not only a technical pillar but also an extraordinary source of profit, capable of ensuring sustainability and relaunch.

In this context, the only real prospect capable of guaranteeing significant capital gains is Rasmus Højlund. At just 22 years old, bought on loan with an obligation to redeem, the Danish striker is not thought of as a pawn to be sacrificed in the short term, but represents the main future asset: the termination clause, which can be activated from 2027 at around 80 million, makes him the only element of the squad with a concrete margin for revaluation. Around him, however, players like Lang, Beukema and Milinkovic-Savic, all between 26 and 29 years old, as well as an established champion like De Bruyne, now 34 years old, have arrived.

Choices that mark a change of perspective: capital gains, once the lifeblood of the Napoli project, today become a side effect and no longer the cornerstone of the company strategy.

At the same time, however, Napoli is growing off the field. The brand has exploded globally and the jerseys have recorded record sales: from about 5 million in initial turnover to 30 million in recent years, with the new 2025/26 uniform capable of generating half a million euros online in the first 24 hours. The Maradona is beginning to be an economic stronghold, with subscriptions at their maximum and a stadium almost always sold out. Completing the picture are the infrastructures, perhaps the most decisive and complex piece for a company aiming to establish itself among the big ones. Last September 1st, Aurelio De Laurentiis signed the purchase option for the land of Succivo, destined to host the new sports center: an investment estimated at around 60 million euros, entirely financed by the club. In the background, however, remains the issue of the owned stadium, with the Poggioreale area among the most discussed hypotheses, but it will still take time for a concrete project.

This mix of ready players, a strongly growing brand, and own structures represents the decisive step with which De Laurentiis wants to consecrate Napoli among the greats, in Italy and in Europe. No longer just the club that discovers and resells talents, but a stable company, capable of competing and winning. It is the natural conclusion of the second decade of his presidency: after having ensured sustainability through capital gains, now is the time to transform that solidity into structural greatness.

The bet, however, carries risks. Without strong capital gains, Napoli becomes more exposed to sports results: a missed Champions qualification or a season below expectations could weigh much more than in the past. Also, betting on mature players reduces the margin for economic revaluation, and large infrastructure investments will have to produce concrete benefits to justify the commitment. But the road is mapped out. Napoli no longer wants to live off capital gains: it wants to win immediately, consolidate and stay. After years of planning, the time for definitive consecration has arrived.

by Davide Maria Pellegrino

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.