Milan and Inter stadium naming deal worth about €650m, BBC reports

Generali has agreed to pay about €650m for naming rights to AC Milan and Inter's planned new stadium through 2052, BBC Sport reported. The financial details put a value on the sponsorship behind the proposed 71,500-seat Generali Stadium, which the clubs intend to share from 2031 as a replacement for San Siro.

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The clubs jointly presented the stadium design on Thursday. According to the BBC, construction is expected to cost about €1.2bn, while just under 12,000 seats are intended for premium or hospitality customers. The plans also envisage concerts and events in other sports, giving the clubs opportunities to earn income beyond their football fixtures. The opening date remains a target for the planned venue.

AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale told BBC Sport that the project should be understood as more than an annual sponsorship payment. He said the stadium would change the club's economic model through matchday income, hospitality, entertainment and commercial activity. Cardinale argued that Italian football had fallen behind the Premier League in infrastructure and commercial development, and that the new ground would help Milan compete with Europe's biggest clubs.

The agreement's duration is an important part of its value, according to Sheffield Hallam University sport finance professor Dan Plumley, who spoke to the BBC. He said guaranteed income over a long period gives clubs security. Plumley also argued that attaching a sponsor's name to a new venue is commercially different from renaming an established stadium, where supporters may continue using the familiar name.

The financial plans accompany a significant change for both clubs. Milan have played at San Siro for 100 years, while Inter moved there in 1947. The BBC reported that the clubs paid €197m for the stadium and surrounding land in 2025. Both are owned by separate US-based investment firms and see the replacement venue as part of their efforts to strengthen their commercial position.

The redevelopment nevertheless faces opposition from some supporters. Inter fans protested outside the venue where the plans were announced, displaying a banner defending San Siro and chanting against its loss, the BBC reported. Their objections accompanied a presentation focused on the new ground's commercial potential and its intended contribution to Milan's wider urban development.