Napoli could demolish their historic stadium due to safety concerns surrounding 10,000 seats. A large portion of the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona has been closed off to fans since 2019, when vibrational problems emerged after metal fencing at the stadium was replaced with glass.

They have been playing at reduced capacity as a result, with the previous figure of 64,000 dropping to 54,725. And club chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis is reportedly growing concerned over foregone matchday revenue. According to The Sun, Napoli chiefs will investigate whether they can fix the problem area at the stadium. But De Laurentiis’s ‘real dream’ is believed to be the construction of a brand new ground, which would see the old one demolished.

The 75-year-old spoke openly about those ambitions last March, when he told TGR Campania: “I asked [the architects] to design a new, very modern stadium, and we have met with those who work in the Bagnoli district.

“I believe that the mayor of Naples would also like to assist with plans to bring a new stadium to Bagnoli. The project already began in October, and it will still take another 18 months.

“So, we will be able to lay down the first bricks in around 18 months. From then, we are confident that we will be able to build everything within another 12 months.”

Construction started on Napoli’s current ground in 1948, and they started playing there just over a decade later. Formerly known as the San Paolo, it was renovated in 1990, and again in 2019, before being renamed in honour of their former player, Diego Maradona, in 2020. Maradona played some of his best football for the Azzurri, scoring 115 goals in 259 games between 1984 and 1991.

Napoli are currently hunting down their second Serie A title in three seasons, with former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Antonio Conte at the helm.

They sit one point behind leaders Inter with 11 games to play, as Conte looks to go all the way in his first season in charge. Former Manchester United stars Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay have been key men for Napoli this campaign, with the pair sitting first and second in the club’s Serie A scoring charts.

Conte’s men host Fiorentina on Sunday, and they will enjoy a clear run-in, having finished 10th last season and failed to qualify for any European competition.