Inter’s three Italy internationals should be able to join up with the Azzurri later this week, according to a report in the Italian media today.
Stefano Sensi, Nicolo Barella and Alessandro Bastoni were all named in Roberto Mancini’s 38-man squad for their upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Northern Ireland (March 25), Bulgaria (March 28) and Lithuania (March 31).
As per Corriere dello Sport’s print edition, there is no law which ‘frees’ up Inter’s Italian trio like there is for their overseas internationals (Romelu Lukaku, Christian Eriksen, Marcelo Brozovic, Ivan Perisic and Milan Skriniar) – but the Italian Football Federation is pushing for a ‘compromise’ agreement with the club.
This arrangement would see Barella, Bastoni and Sensi stay in quarantine in Milan until Wednesday – which would be a week since Inter’s last positive test in the first-team squad – and then join up with Mancini’s side on Thursday.
The trio would miss Italy’s match at home to Northern Ireland, if this came to fruition, but would then be available for the fixtures against Bulgaria and Lithuania.
As per Gazzetta dello Sport today, four federations have submitted requests via Italy’s health ministry to have their players join them: Croatia (for Brozovic and Perisic), Denmark (Eriksen), Belgium (Lukaku) and Slovakia (Skriniar).
Morocco’s federation was yet to make a request for Achraf Hakimi last night but the Milan-based publication said it was likely to do so today.
Milan’s ATS is expected to give Inter’s players the green light to go, because there is a norm which gives those who have started a COVID-19 quarantine abroad the right to travel back and complete it in their home country.
This is dependent on Inter not recording any further positive tests today, though, after the squad was tested again yesterday.
