Mancini has already had the conversation with Nicolò Tresoldi, and he still thinks Italy have a chance if the Bruges striker decides to switch. Speaking to Sky Sport Italia, the Italy manager said: "I talked to Tresoldi and Ranieri too. Being born in Italy, and with an Italian father, in my opinion there are possibilities. We hope he makes the right choice, he knows how much value he would have for us"
Palma's first senior call-up
The other part of the story is Matteo Palma, whose senior call-up shows the pipeline is still active. Palma was born in 2008, was raised in Germany by an Italian father and a German mother, and FIFA gave the green light for his change of nationality, which opened the door to his first senior Italy selection.
He has already made 6 Serie A appearances this season and carries a 6.78 rating. Those are not elite numbers, but they do show enough senior football to justify an international look.
The wider conversion list
Italy have not relied on one case here. Alessandro Romano chose Italy in September 2026 and started against Belgium on 25 September at the Olimpico. Luca Koleosho made his senior Italy debut on 3 June 2026 against Luxembourg after winning the Under 19 European Championship with Italy.
There is also Mateo Retegui, plus Luiz Felipe, who has been part of the same wider pattern of dual-national recruitment. The point is not that every chase ends the same way, because Tresoldi has not made a final decision. It is that Italy are still active in this market, and Mancini's comments make that plain.
Tresoldi remains tied to Germany at Under 21 level, so Italy would need a successful switch rather than a routine call-up. The summer of 2027 still points the other way, but the conversation with Italy is already open.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
