Interim Italy coach Silvio Baldini has named an experimental 24-man squad for the Azzurri's final two matches of the season against Luxembourg and Greece, with three players eligible for the Super Eagles receiving maiden senior call-ups.
Paris FC forward Luca Koleosho, Atalanta defender Honest Ahanor and Genoa striker Jeff Ekhator are all in contention to make their senior debuts for the four-time world champions in the upcoming friendlies.
Italy will face Luxembourg on June 3 at the Stade de Luxembourg before taking on Greece at the Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion, Crete on June 7.
Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, Koleosho is eligible to represent Nigeria, Italy, the United States and Canada at senior international level, while Aversa-born Ahanor and Genoa native Ekhator are both of Nigerian descent through their parents.
Ahanor only obtained his Italian passport in March, a development that cleared him to make his competitive debut for Italy's U21 side in a European Championship qualifier against Sweden.
All three players are provisionally cap-tied to Italy and would need to file a one-time change of sporting nationality should they decide to represent Nigeria in the future.
However, appearances in the forthcoming friendlies would not permanently cap-tie them to the European giants.
Italy have historically succeeded in convincing several players of Nigerian heritage to commit their international futures to the Azzurri, including Destiny Udogie, Angelo Ogbonna, Stefano Okaka and Michael Folorunsho.
However, Fulham defender Calvin Bassey chose Nigeria despite being eligible for Italy and has since established himself as a key figure for the Super Eagles, playing prominent roles at the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Former centre-back Ugo Ukah, who was born in Parma, also represented Nigeria before retiring from professional football.
Ifeanyi Emmanuel
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