Romeo Editore, the company of entrepreneur Alfredo Romeo, has announced the suspension of publications of the newspaper l'Unità starting from Wednesday, July 8, following the breakdown of negotiations with the Democratic Party (PD) for the acquisition of the newspaper.

Romeo acquired l'Unità in 2022 through the bankruptcy auction at the Tribunal of Rome. The newspaper, founded in 1924 by Antonio Gramsci and currently directed by Piero Sansonetti, has been closed and reopened three times in its history, undergoing numerous changes of ownership and editorial direction.

In a statement, Romeo Editore reports having developed a dialogue with the PD over the past few months, expressing willingness to transfer the newspaper at a purely symbolic price. The publisher described a twofold objective: to put the accounts in order and to preserve the newspaper's history, with the prospect of returning it to the Democratic Party, described as the "natural home" of the newspaper.

According to the website Dagospia, the deal fell through over Romeo's request to retain a minority stake in the company. The newspaper la Repubblica reports that the Democratic Party would be ready to pay one million euros but refused the request to allow the entrepreneur to keep a minority stake.

The Democratic Party decided not to proceed with the negotiation. Having taken note of this decision and considering the accumulated operating losses, Romeo Editore announced the suspension of publications. The publisher thanked the editorial staff, collaborators, and readers.

Sources from the Nazareno, according to some media outlets, indicate that the Democratic Party would nonetheless be interested in purchasing the newspaper.