- Claudio Ranieri turned down the Italian Football Federation’s offer to coach the national team
- The 73-year-old prefers to focus fully on his new role as advisor to Roma’s owners
- Stefano Pioli, currently at Al-Nassr, is now the top candidate to replace Spalletti
Key Takeaways:
The Italian Football Federation has failed in its attempt to convince Claudio Ranieri to take over the national team following the dismissal of Luciano Spalletti as head coach.
BREAKING! Multiple sources claim Claudio Ranieri has rejected an offer from the FIGC to become the Italy national team coach. pic.twitter.com/8JY0QVxib4
— Football Italia (@footballitalia) June 10, 2025
Although all of Italy’s leading sports outlets reported this morning that Ranieri had received permission from Roma’s club owners to combine his advisory role there with managing the Squadra Azzurra, the 73-year-old has ultimately decided — after much consideration — to decline the offer from federation president Gabriele Gravina. The reason is that he wants to focus entirely on his new responsibilities as a consultant to the Friedkin family, having just ended his coaching career for a second time.
This means Gravina will have to restart the search for Spalletti’s successor. The current frontrunner is Al-Nassr boss Stefano Pioli, who was believed to have already reached an agreement to return to former club Fiorentina before the Italy opportunity emerged.