One of the most prolific Serie A players of the past few seasons might come to the rescue of the Azzurri. Cagliari director Stefano Capozucca suggested that Joao Pedro got the Italian citizenship four years ago through marriage. The forward wishes to play for Brazil, but it has not happened so far.
The director spoke with Radiolina: “I told Joao Pedro that his objectives are to avoid relegation with Cagliari and to take part in and possibly win the World Cup. Maybe with the Azzurri. I have had some conversations with the higher-ups within the national team to remind them that he is in the pool of available players. I do not see why he should not be taken into consideration.”
It remains to be seen whether Joao Pedro agrees with the executive. He has stuck with Brazil so far. Despite his numbers, the competition has been too tough to overcome. In the past 3 seasons and change, he has scored 48 goals in 119 Serie A matches with Cagliari, providing 12 assists.
Capouzucca also commented on Nahitan Nandez, who has recently been linked to Inter: “There is always very little truth to these rumors. His agent talks a lot to the newspapers. We received no offers to date. Nandez is a crucial player to us. He always gives his soul to Cagliari. We made a sizeable investment to acquire him a few years ago. I do not see why we would gift him to a top team now and send him out on loan.”