This year's Italian champions SSC Napoli, who play their games at Stadio Diego Maradona on a daily basis, were to reach an agreement on the continued lease of their home venue. According to media reports, the club has agreed to extend its contract with the city, which owns the arena.

Last season for calcio fans in Naples was truly special. The local club won first place in Serie A for the first time since the days when the legendary Diego Armando Maradona played in its colours. 'El Diez' played for Napoli between 1984 and 1991 and during his time in the Campania capital reached the scudetto twice with the club.

© Matt Rayns - Groundhopper

This happened in the 1986/87 and 1989/90 seasons, and the current Azzurri team followed up their successes of more than 20 years ago in fine style, winning the league with a 16-point lead over second-placed Lazio. The Neapolitans' home ground hosted a special screening of the title-deciding match, with giant screens installed along the sidelines of the pitch.

The stadium where the current Italian champions play is named Stadio Diego Armando Maradona from 2020. The city of Naples, which owns the venue, agreed to a new patron for the arena after the Argentine's passing. It was previously named Stadio San Paolo. Napoli's existing lease on the stadium expired on 30 June, but the club's president Aurelio De Laurentiis has agreed to extend the contract with the city, according to reports from Il Mattino newspaper.

The new agreement will run until June 2028. The original deal included a five-year extension option, which has now been exercised. Last month, the aforementioned newspaper reported that the city of Naples had put the stadium up for sale and was looking for an investor to oversee the future renovation of the venue. According to reports, De Laurentiis may make an offer to buy the stadium, with the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, saying that the venue needs "extensive and deep restructuring".

Check out how Stadio Diego Armando Maradona compares to other Serie A arenas: