Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio – the billionaire Ray-Ban heir known for his love of Ferraris and nightclubs – has reportedly launched a roughly $33 billion bid for the family’s holding company.
The 31-year-old nightclub owner outlined his proposal for Luxembourg-based Delfin Sarl in a letter on Monday. The deal is backed by a nearly $25 billion loan from Citigroup, according to Bloomberg and Italian newspaper Corriere della Serra.
Leonardo Maria – one of the heirs to the late EssilorLuxottica founder Leonard Del Vecchio – recently told The Post that his ex-fiancée, soap opera star Jessica Serfaty, told him she was pregnant but didn’t know whether he was the father.
The billionaire claimed he chartered private jets to fly Serfaty and a team of doctors for paternity tests, including one aboard his yacht, that ultimately indicated he wasn’t the father.
The prodigal son also said on a podcast appearance with Italian rapper Fedez that he’s been addicted to drugs and slept with over 2,000 women.
He is offering 3.7 billion euros, or about $4 billion, to buy out each of his seven co-owners in Delfin, including his five siblings, half-brother and mother, Corriere della Serra reported.
It’s the latest development in the real-life “Succession” family feud to determine future control over the EssilorLuxottica eyewear fortune, which includes Oakley, LensCrafters and Ray-Ban, as well as stakes in banking and insurance firms like UniCredit and Monte dei Paschi di Siena. The firm’s publicly disclosed stakes are valued at roughly $50 billion, according to Bloomberg.
Michal Strnad – a Czech arms tycoon worth an estimated $13.5 billion, according to Forbes – has also thrown his hat in the ring with a roughly $33 billion proposal to takeover the company.
EssilorLuxottica did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
Leonardo Maria has emerged as his family’s most outspoken critic of EssilorLuxottica CEO Francesco Milleri, who he has blamed for the stock’s flailing performance – down more than 32% so far this year. The company has a market value of 86.91 billion euros, or over $97 billion.
The billionaire heir is seeking a dominant position over the family dynasty, angling to boost his stake from 12.5% to 37.5% and arguing it will provide greater stability for the company. The elder Del Vecchio – who died in June 2022 – left a 12.5% stake in Delfin to each of his heirs.
But Leonardo Maria recently failed to win board support for loans needed to buy out a combined 25% stake held by siblings Luca and Paola for 10 billion euros, or about $11.2 billion.
His more recent attempt to buy out half-brother Rocco Basilico was also rejected by the board.
In his Monday letter, Leonardo Maria wrote that his new proposal includes financial backing from an unidentified international institution. He said he will be ready to present the deal terms to stakeholders on Nov. 7.
The Citigroup loan bears a 1.75% interest rate, according to Corriere.
Leonardo Maria said the vehicle buying the stakes would have strengthened governance rules and a binding statute, adding that he’ll be joined by two professionals “with long managerial, legal and financial experience” who will provide binding advice on the most important decisions.
His offer is reportedly just below the price proposed by Strnad on Oct. 20.
In 2023, Leonardo Maria became engaged to Jessica Serfaty – an American model and former girlfriend of actor Ed Westwick, influencer Logan Paul and former One Direction bandmate Niall Horan.
The pair broke off the engagement in 2024, with Serfaty accusing Del Vecchio of physical assault. She quickly withdrew the allegations, but later told the New York Times she only did so because she was pressured by Del Vecchio and his lawyer, insisting that her then-fiancé did hit her. Del Vecchio did not comment on the abuse allegation at the time.
Del Vecchio told The Post that the allegations have damaged his reputation and complicated business dealings involving EssilorLuxottica and Delfin. He said he hopes the paternity-test results will help clear his name, although he declined to elaborate on which business dealings have been affected.
