Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso has revealed Federico Chiesa refused a call-up to his national team ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifiers.
The Azzurri face Moldova and Norway over the next week as they attempt to reach their first World Cup since 2014, but will be forced to do it without the Liverpool forward.
Former Juventus star Chiesa has not played for Italy since the last European Championships, where they crashed out in the Round of 16 to Switzerland despite coming into the tournament as reigning champions.
He was one of Italy's key men when they won Euro 2020 under the management of Roberto Mancini, but has struggled to recapture that form for his national team amid numerous injuries and a stop-start move to Merseyside.