Mateo Retegui will receive his first Italy call-up and the Argentina-born Tigre striker’s father reveals he has ‘not spoken to Milan, but did talk to other clubs in Serie A, the Premier League, Liga and Bundesliga.’
The 23-year-old is going to be part of Roberto Mancini’s Azzurri from the next match, as his maternal grandfather was from Sicily and he chose to represent Italy.
“Mateo is very happy with the call, so proud and excited to represent one of the most important football nations in the world,” his father Carlos told Calciomercato.com.
They are a sporting family, as Carlos Retegui was the coach of Argentina’s hockey team, winning the gold medal at the Olympics in 2016.
“His sister Micaela and I will be in Italy too from Saturday, to accompany him on this journey, making sure he keeps his feet on the ground and remains humble.”
Retegui has scored six goals in eight competitive matches for Tigre this season, where he is on loan with option to buy from Boca Juniors.
His club future could also be in Italy, with reports of interest in the young centre-forward from Milan, Napoli and Udinese.
“We have not spoken to Milan, but we did have contact with teams from Serie A, the Premier League, Liga and Bundesliga,” confirmed his father.
“It is true that Udinese wanted him in January, but my son preferred to see out the season at Tigre. He had already spoken to some big clubs before the Italy call-up, maybe now even more will be interested in him.
“We do not have a particular club we are looking at, as right now Mateo must focus only on Tigre.”
The forward turns 24 next month and already amassed 20 goals last season.