Samuele Inacio: Italy and Brazil in International Tug-of-War

Italy are preparing to move fast to secure one of their most exciting young forwards, with 18-year-old Samuele Inacio at the centre of an international tug-of-war with Brazil.

Reports on Thursday claim the Azzurri are ready to hand the Borussia Dortmund striker a place in the senior squad for September and, crucially, minutes in a competitive fixture. The aim is clear: lock in his international future before Brazil make their move.

Born in Bergamo, wanted in Brazil

Inacio sits right on the fault line of two footballing giants. Born in Bergamo to an Italian mother and a Brazilian father, Pia – a former forward who turned out for Atalanta, Napoli and several other Italian clubs – he qualifies for both national teams.

He has already worn the blue of Italy at senior level. Interim coach Silvio Baldini gave him his first cap in June in a friendly against Luxembourg, a symbolic step for a teenager still breaking through in Germany.

But friendlies don’t decide international futures. Because that appearance came outside competitive action, Inacio remains free to choose between Italy and Brazil.

That is where the race has intensified.

Brazil scouts step up pursuit

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Brazil have accelerated their interest. Scouts from the Seleção were in London recently, watching Inacio closely during Borussia Dortmund’s pre-season clash with Arsenal at the Emirates Cup.

They liked what they saw. The reports state Brazil are considering capping him in an official match, a move that would tie him to the five-time world champions for the long term.

For a teenager still in the early chapters of his club career, that is a powerful pull: the yellow shirt, the history, the promise of major tournaments.

Azzurri ready to act

Italy are not backing off. The same report insists Inacio’s current “priority” remains with the Azzurri, and the FIGC are working on a plan to reflect that.

The idea is to bring him into the squad again in the coming international window and, this time, put him on the pitch in a competitive game as early as September. Even a brief appearance would be enough to secure his international allegiance under current rules.

For Italy, it would mean tying down one of the brightest products of their youth ranks, a player who left Atalanta for Borussia Dortmund as a teenager and has been closely tracked ever since.

For Brazil, it would mean losing a gifted forward with deep roots in their football culture through his father, but shaped by Italian academies and now the Bundesliga.

Two nations. One teenager. September is suddenly looming as a decisive month in Samuele Inacio’s career.