De Laurentiis confirms Bari in talks with ‘foreign’ potential investors

President of Bari Luigi De Laurentiis confirms he is ‘negotiating with two foreign companies who are interested’ in buying the Serie B club.

The side went bankrupt in 2018 and was taken over by the De Laurentiis family, treated as a satellite club to Napoli.

They earned promotion from Serie D all the way up to Serie B in 2022, but have faced protests from fans who feel there is insufficient investment compared to the other De Laurentiis project.

With that in mind, it is confirmed that the family is seeking new investors and could even potentially sell up Bari altogether.

“I have recently been negotiating with two foreign companies who are interested in the club,” De Laurentiis said at a press conference at the Stadio San Nicola.

“We are in a dialogue phase, they are studying Bari in terms of numbers and atmosphere. My objective is to close these negotiations in 2026.”

The decision was foisted upon them by a change in the rules on multiple clubs being owned by the same person or company, which set a deadline of 2028 to terminate all these agreements in Italy.

“It is important to hand Bari over to someone solid, who can have a plan in place. I am taking a big risk, in the interests of the fans and of Bari.

“There is a pact of confidentiality, but I can confirm we are talking to foreign companies, not Italian ones.”

De Laurentiis and others are battling the rule change, and hope they can continue to remain as minority investors in other clubs.

“The idea is to find a partner, who would appreciate that we know the football world well and are an added bonus. Co-existence is possible, then we’ll see what the rules actually are in 2028. If we get to Serie A, sitting in the stands, then we’ll be happy. That is where Bari deserve to be.”