The Italian national team is looking to a new generation of athletes to expand its roster. Roberto Mancini, who has returned to coach the Azzurri, is looking at various emerging players, including those with interesting international histories who were born or reared outside of Italy yet are eligible to play for Italy. The coach is particularly interested in Issa Doumbia, a 22-year-old midfielder born in Italy to Ivorian parents. Mancini monitored him intently during the Champions League encounter between Sporting CP and Galatasaray in Lisbon. The midfielder was born in Treviglio, Lombardy, and began his professional career in Italian soccer's lower ranks. In the summer of 2024, Venezia bought him from Serie C club AlbinoLeffe. After assisting the Veneto team in achieving promotion, Doumbia was transferred to Sporting CP this summer for €23 million, in addition to bonuses. Doumbia has already played for Italy's Under-21 team, which is reserved for young players and is regarded as one of the most important steps toward the senior squad. He has made three appearances and took part in the 2025 European Under-21 Championship. Alessandro Romano further increases Mancini's midfield options. FIFA has confirmed the Cagliari player's change of nationality, after he elected to represent Italy after playing for Switzerland's minor teams. Romano, born in Winterthur in 2006, has dual citizenship: he is Swiss and Italian due to his family heritage. His playing career began in the Swiss system before getting called up to the Under-20 squad. FIFA rules allow a player with several nationalities to move federations under certain conditions, via a formal procedure. In his case, the procedure ended with FIFA's approval and Italy's ultimate decision. The case of Nicolò Tresoldi remains unsettled. Tresoldi, who scored a penalty in Brugge's Champions League loss to Aston Villa, has decided to delay his national team transition. He intends to finish his present career with the Germany Under-21 squad, which is currently preparing for the upcoming European Championship, before making a definitive decision.