Serie B: an American investment fund in talks to take over Empoli
The Corsi family’s club has announced that it has signed an exclusivity agreement with a US investment fund. It would be the sixth club in Serie B to be under foreign ownership
An exclusive agreement to sell the club means that Empoli FC could be bought by an American investment fund. A press release from the club confirms the rumours circulating in recent weeks regarding alleged negotiations for the Azzurri, who play in Serie B: “Empoli Football Club announces that it has signed an exclusive agreement with an American investment fund in relation to a significant investment in the club’s capital.”
For Empoli, this would mark the first time the club’s shareholding has been opened up to an external investor in the 35 years of Fabrizio Corsi’s presidency, which began in 1991. The club aims to finalise the deal before the end of the summer; the main scenario is that the fund could acquire a majority stake in the club, although this will depend on the outcome of the negotiations. The Corsi family’s role in the future ownership structure will be at the heart of the talks, alongside the scale of the fund’s financial investment, which naturally focuses on the stadium renovation project.
The plans for the new Carlo Castellani stadium involve a redevelopment investment of around 56 million euros to transform the existing facility into a modern venue with a capacity of 18,600 seats, whilst removing the athletics track. The works, to be funded through project financing, are expected to take around 36 months.
Throughout its history, Empoli has competed in 17 Serie A seasons, 15 of which were under President Corsi. Their best finish came in the 2006–2007 season, when they finished seventh in the top flight. During this period, there were several expressions of interest in the club, but an agreement for exclusive negotiations had never been reached.
Should the takeover go ahead, the Tuscan club would join its rivals Cesena, Hellas Verona and Pisa, which are already under American ownership. The Romagna-based team is controlled by the JRL Investment Partners group, linked to the two New York-based investors Robert Lewis and John Aiello, who completed the acquisition in 2022. The Verona-based club was bought in January 2025 by the US fund Presidio Investors, a private equity firm based in Austin, Texas. Pisa, meanwhile, is owned by the British-born, naturalised American financier Alexander Knaster, who bought 75 per cent of the club in January 2021.
