Nantes would not stand in Claudio Ranieri's way should he be offered the chance to manage Italy, according to club president Waldemar Kita.
The former Leicester City coach, who won a remarkable Premier League title with the Foxes, has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Nantes, leading to some speculation that he might be approached to manage Italy at international level.
"If the situation presented itself, which is not the case, I would discuss it with him of course because he is a gentleman who has a huge experience in international football," said Kita, according to L'Equipe.
"And I would understand in some way that a high-level career ends on an opportunity that will not be presented twice. So we would have to analyse it and see how we can organise it to not leave the club in a difficult situation on the day that it would be decided, but for now, that is not the case, there are several candidates.
"Taking a team from his country is a dream for any coach and I don't like to curb someone's career. We would have to adapt, and do what we can do."
Italy are hunting for a new coach following Gian Piero Ventura's departure, which came after the country failed to qualify for this summer's World Cup in Russia.
Christopher Dodd
