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As Napoli begin their campaign to win the second European trophy in their history at Leicester on Thursday night, president Aurelio De Laurentiis has issued a stark warning to the continent's top clubs — change or be forgotten.
In an exclusive interview with Sportsmail, De Laurentiis — a prominent film producer who has owned Napoli for nearly two decades — revealed he is working on a proposal that he says will be worth '€10billion (£8.5bn)' to the European game.
Though he disagreed with the proposal to launch a European Super League, De Laurentiis believes the allure of winning the Champions League or Europa League is forcing clubs to spend beyond their means in the race to stay competitive — and the prize money does not plug the gaps.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has told Sportsmail his plan to change football forever
The Italian claims UEFA's competitions do not give Europe's teams enough money to compete
That is why De Laurentiis wants a more lucrative pan-European league where qualification is based on clubs' performances, rather than the formula of the Super League, where teams were invited to compete regardless of domestic performance.
'The system doesn't work any more,' argues De Laurentiis. 'The Champions and Europa League don't generate
