Nicolo Tresoldi Delays Italy Switch as Germany Opportunity Reopens
Nicolo Tresoldi is not ready to choose. Not yet.
Despite a flurry of reports in Italy that the Club Brugge striker had pledged his international future to the Azzurri, the 22-year-old has asked for time and pressed pause on a switch from Germany to Italy.
According to several Italian outlets, Tresoldi met new Italy coach Roberto Mancini and technical director Claudio Ranieri at the FIGC headquarters, listened to the project, then asked not to be called up for the upcoming Nations League fixtures. He also requested that his association switch with FIFA be put on hold.
The FIGC agreed. The file is on ice.
Torn between two rebuilds
Tresoldi wants to finish what he started with Germany’s Under-21s. Since the Under-19s he has worn the DFB shirt, and his numbers at U21 level are strong: 12 goals in 24 appearances. He has made it clear he intends to see out the current cycle before making the biggest decision of his career.
That stance has collided with a surge in his club form. At Brugge, Tresoldi has taken off. Five goals in seven matches this season, including a sharp finish in Tuesday’s 3-2 Champions League defeat to Aston Villa, have pushed him into the spotlight across Europe. His displays have fuelled transfer rumours and lit up the tug-of-war between national teams.
The noise grew louder at the end of August. Gazzetta dello Sport claimed Tresoldi had opted for Italy. In Germany, Bild insisted he was still weighing things up. The latter now looks closer to the truth.
From Cagliari to Bruges via Hannover
Tresoldi’s story is tailor-made for a battle of flags.
Born in Cagliari to an Italian father and Argentinian mother, he spent his early childhood in Italy before moving to Germany at 13. Hannover 96 shaped him as a professional, and by 2025 Club Brugge were convinced enough to pay €7.5 million to bring him to Belgium.
His first season there was outstanding. Intelligent movement, a ruthless streak in the box and a right foot that rarely panics under pressure quickly made him one of the most talked-about young forwards in Europe.
Germany noticed.
Nagelsmann’s near-miss and Klopp’s call
Julian Nagelsmann came close to fast-tracking him to the biggest stage of all. The former Germany coach admitted Tresoldi was “really very close for a long time” to making his World Cup squad. He described him as a striker “who has that special instinct in the penalty area”.
In the end, Tresoldi stayed home. Nagelsmann hinted that “his time will come”. The World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico then collapsed into a fiasco for Germany, and Nagelsmann stepped down.
Enter Jürgen Klopp.
The new national coach will name his first Germany squad on 17 September. He has not yet gone public on Tresoldi, but the timing is hard to ignore: a prolific, undecided striker, a new coach, a team in need of fresh blood and sharper finishing.
A call from Klopp could change everything.
Italy waits, Germany watches
Italy, like Germany, are rebuilding from failure. Having missed another World Cup, the Azzurri turned back to Mancini to lead a reset. Their Nations League schedule is heavy: Belgium on 25 September, France on 2 October, and Turkey twice on 28 September and 5 October.
Tresoldi will not be there. By his own request.
For now, he belongs to Germany’s youth setup and to Brugge’s attack, where every goal raises the stakes a little more. Each finish, each clever run, each Champions League night makes the choice tougher and the spotlight harsher.
Two giants are waiting. Tresoldi keeps scoring. How long can he keep both nations at arm’s length?
