Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has been formally ordered to stand trial over allegations of false accounting linked to the transfer of Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen from Lille in 2020.
An Italian court confirmed the indictment after prosecutors accused De Laurentiis of inflating player valuations to strengthen Napoli’s financial position at the time of the deal. As part of the transfer, goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis and three youth-team players—Claudio Manzi, Ciro Palmieri, and Luigi Liguori—moved to Lille for what investigators claim were unjustifiably high valuations.
According to Italian outlet Tuttosport, Napoli director and longtime De Laurentiis associate Andrea Chiavelli has also been sent to trial, and the club itself will face proceedings under corporate responsibility laws.
The case forms part of a broader investigation into financial practices within Italian football, particularly deals involving inflated swap values used to boost balance sheets.
De Laurentiis’ legal team strongly criticised the ruling, calling the indictment “surprising” and insisting the charges lack merit. They argued that the case should have been dismissed and vowed to challenge the accusations vigorously.
“We are absolutely astonished,” said lawyers Gaetano Scalise, Fabio Fulgeri and Lorenzo Contrada.
“There were clear grounds to acquit the defendants. The Guardia di Finanza misapplied accounting principles, and even the public prosecutors stated that Napoli did not obtain any advantage from these operations.”
The trial is scheduled to begin on December 2. Osimhen’s move to Napoli, valued at around €70 million, remains one of the biggest transfers in the club’s history, with the striker going on to play a central role in their 2022–23 Serie A title triumph.
