Mansion Sports – Roberto Mancini did not need much time to begin his battle off the pitch.

Since taking charge of the Italian national team, he has set one clear objective: "prevent rival national teams from securing dual-nationality young talents before they become part of the Azzurri project."

According to the French website "Foot Mercato", Italy has already moved to pursue several young players who have the option of representing other countries.

This is a strategy built around identifying them early and bringing them into the national team project for the years ahead.

There are quite a few targets. One of the main ones is Samuele Inacio, who has attracted attention from Brazil, as well as Issa Doumbia, whom Ivory Coast wants to secure, along with Alessandro Romano, one of the players who has attracted interest from Switzerland.

Mancini has also called up Mohamed Ali Zouma, who could actually represent Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso. The move demonstrates his desire to act early before these talents decide their international futures.

"Foot Mercato" confirmed that none of this is being done at random. The Italian coach has drawn up a carefully considered plan, looking for players who can quickly become part of the national team project while also ensuring that no talent slips away to a rival.

"We Don't Want to Lose Talent"

Mancini defended his decision to call up so many young players, stressing that his main objective is to get to know them more closely and assess whether they can remain with the team over the next four years.

The Italian coach said: "If I call up older players, there will be criticism. I call up young players because it is important for us to get to know them closely so that we can build a successful team in the future."

"We need to identify as quickly as possible the players who can stay with us over the next four years," he added. "I called up more players than usual because I want to see them on the pitch."

His concerns about young Italian talents switching to other national teams are no secret. In his view, the answer is not to complain about it, but to act early, find these players, and secure them before their international ambitions change.

He explained: "We cannot complain if young players move to foreign clubs. We have to find a solution. The solution is to find them and select them quickly, especially to avoid losing players who have dual nationality."

Zouma Also on Mancini's Radar

Zouma has also received particular attention. "Zouma has moved to the German second division, which is a very good league," Mancini said. "He is performing well, and we hope he continues to do so."

Nicolo Tresoldi Becomes the Next Target

The next target on Mancini's radar is Nicolo Tresoldi. Mancini wants to convince the young striker to choose the Azzurri, even though he is currently still part of Germany's plans at U-21 level.

The competition for players' international allegiance has therefore started at an early stage. Mancini has placed dual-nationality talents at the top of his list, pursuing the next generation for Italy while closing the door on rivals before it is too late.