Roma centre-back Roger Ibanez could end up playing for Italy one day, as the Azzurri CT Roberto Mancini reportedly considers calling up the Brazilian.
If Mancini contacts the Giallorossi defender, the procedures for obtaining permission to wear the Azzurri shirt can start.
Ibanez has three passports, as he was born in Brazil, raised in Uruguay and has ancestors from Italy. He obtained the Italian passport before arriving at Atalanta in January 2019 and now Mancini considers taking advantage of the situation.
The 22-year-old revealed his dream is to play for Brazil, but admitted he would consider it if Italy came calling.
He was pointing at Rafael Toloi, Jorginho and Emerson Palmieri, who are Brazilian-born players already in the Italy squad.
Il Corriere dello Sport reports his words didn’t go unnoticed by the FIGC and Mancini will evaluate if Ibanez could be useful to the Azzurri ahead of the World Cup in Qatar next year.
Mancini has focused on Lazio’s Francesco Acerbi, Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni and Atalanta’s Toloi as the alternatives to Juventus duo Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.
But the road to Qatar is long and the defensive insecurities were highlighted during the UEFA Nations League Finals, when Italy lost 2-1 to Spain and then claimed third with a 2-1 win over Belgium.