In the nick of time! Serie A new boys will stay in the division… for a full season at least

Salernitana have been saved from being kicked out of Serie A after its trustees accepted a bid from new owner Daniele Iervolino, Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport reported Saturday.

Acceptance of the bid came just ahead of a Friday midnight deadline that would have forced the club based in Salerno, south of Naples, out of the League, were no offers accepted. Iervolino, 43, the founder of Italy's Pegasus Online University, said he would do everything to keep Salernitana in Serie A.

It is with great emotion that I announce the acquisition of Salernitana 1919. Salerno and its fans deserve a competitive team. I strongly believe that the project of relaunching the team that we are preparing will guarantee balance and stability to the club."

In a frantic last day of the year, that looked like a Hollywood movie, the trustees communicated their acceptance of the binding agreement at 23.58 on 31 December, one minute before the deadline that was set last summer. Now it will be necessary to formalize the operation with all the necessary formalities to sanction the transfer of ownership.

The extension granted by the Football Federation will expire on 14 February but will likely be made official in the next few days. It would allow Iervolino to have the full control of Salernitana and a chance to start planning the first operations to strengthen the team that looks destined for relegation.

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The club was promoted to Italy's top flight this season but immediately fell foul of Italian Football Federation (FIGC) rules because the club was co-owned by Lazio boss Claudio Lotito. According to FIGC rules, two clubs under the same ownership cannot play in the same division. Trustees were appointed in June to organise the club's sale by December 31, but last month they requested a new deadline, saying they had not received good bids.

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That hope was quashed after Italian football chief Gabriele Gravina said there would be no extension. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that necessary formalities for the deal had yet to be completed.