Burnley winger named in Italy U21 squad despite talks with USA; also eligible for Nigeria, Canada 

Burnley winger Luca Koleosho is one of three new faces in Italy's U21 squad for  the 2025 European Championship qualifier against Norway scheduled for October 17 at the Stadio Marco Druso in Bolzano. 

Born in the United States to a Nigerian father and Italian-Canadian mother, Koleosho qualifies to represent his country of birth, plus the Italian, Canadian and Nigerian national teams. 

The Nigerian Federation are lagging behind their rivals in the race for the services of Koleosho, with the winger previously earning call-ups to the American, Canadian and Italian youth teams.

For now, the 19-year-old has chosen to play international football for Italy but has not shut the doors on playing for the three other countries he's also eligible to represent. 

United States head coach Gregg Berhalter revealed this week that he has been in touch with Koleosho in terms of the Connecticut native switching his international allegiance from Italy to the United States.

Koleosho became provisionally cap-tied to the Italians this year and featured in every single game as Italy won the 2023 European U19 Championship. 

After the U19 Euro, he stuck with the Italians, making his U20 debut against Germany on September 7 and played his second game for the age group in a 1-0 win versus Czech Republic four days later. 

A promising player previously on the books of Espanyol, Koleosho has caught the eye for Burnley, starting all their matches in the Premier League this term. 

U.S. Soccer won the recruitment battle for former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun, beating England and Nigeria to his services, and have also cap-tied Abuja-born defender George Bello and Daryl Dike, the younger brother of former Super Eagles striker Bright Dike. 

Ifeanyi Emmanuel 

Photo Credit: Instagram

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